Not Alone
by Er-BearG32
Summary: A follow-up to Mousme's story "Ex Crucio", I was given permission to continue. Sam is out of the hospital after the gruesome torture and pain he received. As he and Dean head to Bobby's to help Sam with his recovery, it is made known that Sam isn't so willing to talk about his experience, much less re-live it. Can Dean and Bobby help him before he destroys himself?
1. Chapter 1

**Not Alone**

A/N- The wonderful Mousme gave me permission to write a follow-up to her story "Ex Crucio", so I give her all the credit for this idea. I hope this lives up to any expectations people have for a sequel, I'm just taking this where my little brain directs me…

A/N2- None of the characters belong to me…sadly…believe me, I wish I could have Sammy all to myself, but he, Dean, Bobby, etc… all belong to Eric Kripke and the wonderful people who made "Supernatural" what it is today.

A/N3- It's been years since I've gotten back into writing and even posted my writings, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty. I might post some of my previous works in the future, we'll see. Also, this is the first time I've attempted a Supernatural fic, so go easy on me! *attempts to match Sammy's puppy dog eyes*

**Chapter 1**

Pain. Torture. Those where the first things he remembered as he woke up, fresh from yet another nightmare invading his thoughts. A harsh gasp escaped him as his hazel eyes flew open, taking in his surroundings as he felt a gentle, feather like touch on his arm and a voice he would recognize anywhere.

"Sammy, Sammy, it's okay. It's okay."

Sam turned his head to the sound of his brother's voice just as he felt the gentle roar of the Impala come to a halt on the shoulder of the long stretch of road. The car instantly turned off and Sam soon felt Dean's hand on his shoulder, gently turning him to face him. Sam instantly wished he didn't have to see the never ending concern on his brother's face, he had been seeing it ever since he had woken up in the hospital weeks ago with that same brother by his side.

"Dean…" He breathed in shakily, looking down at his still bandaged hands and his damaged legs,

"Just another nightmare, it's okay, keep driving-"

"Sam, you know you're going to have to talk about this soon," Dean firmly, yet gently, admonished, his hand still resting on Sam's shoulder, trying to meet his eyes again to take his line of sight away from the damage on his body,

"You know once we get to Bobby's, you're not going anywhere until you've completely healed."

Sam moved his eyes away from his brother's gaze again,

"I know. But-"

"No buts, bitch, you're going to talk about it with me whether you want to or not, I don't care how long it takes, man," Dean's voice dripped with a concern and desperation he used only around his little brother and right now, he didn't care whether they were having the ultimate chick-flick moment. They could have as many of those as Sam wanted… Hell, if it meant his brother would eventually be okay after being…God, after being CRUCIFIED-literally-Dean would do just that. The kid had just been released from the hospital that morning after spending weeks there, and Dean noticed it was just now starting to sink in what happened to him. However, the details leading up to it were still a little sketchy,

"Sammy, you need time to heal and you know it, it's not going to happen overnight. That son of a bitch broke both of your legs and your hands…"

"Dean, please…" Sam's voice broke as he pushed back the tears starting to form in his eyes,

"Please, not yet." He watched as his brother let out another sigh before continuing,

"I'll talk about it, I will, with both you and Bobby, but…I can't yet."

Dean didn't have to be an absolute genius to see the terror and desperation in Sam's face, it was clear as day just from the moisture his brother was trying to hold back,

"You know, even despite everything that's happened, Sammy, I'm still here for you and will take care of you, right? You do know that, right?" He watched as the tears building up started to fall,

"All the crap that's happened up until now, it doesn't matter, Sam, all that matters is getting you better, okay?"

Sam silently nodded, unable to say another word as he let his brother's words sink in. Dean was always there for him, he knew that, it didn't matter how old or how big in size he got, he was still considered Dean's little brother. The Apocolypse, Lucifer, they all could wait for the time being. He lowered his eyes back to his lap as he felt Dean squeeze his shoulder in comfort, no more words being said. Sam knew and that's all that mattered.

0000

"You'll be okay for a few minutes while I fill her up?"

Sam vaguely recalled nodding his head as he felt his brother's sharp eyes on him, searching his every movement up and down. He knew how his brother got-he often referred to it as his 'Sammy radar'-and although a part of him didn't want to be alone at all even for a few minutes, another part just wanted some space. He didn't know how he was supposed to have a break-down in front of Dean after this nightmare; not that his brother was unsympathetic, but Dean had so many of his own problems to worry about and now taking care of him both physically and emotionally…it was too much. As much as he loved and looked up to Dean, Sam wasn't sure how was even supposed to begin to talk about this.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Sam knew he better answer quickly or Dean was never going to leave him alone.

Another sharp look was sent his way before Dean nodded with a quick, "I'll be right back", before opening the driver's side door and getting out. Sam allowed his eyes to follow his brother as he rushed into the mini mart and disappeared. As soon as the older brother was out of sight, Sam shut his eyes tightly and leaned his head weakly against the passenger seat, finally allowing his tears to flow freely down his face for the first time since his release from the hospital.

Inside the mini mart, Dean stood with his arms crossed, his foot tapping against the floor as he waited ever impatiently in the line leading to the cash register. His bright green eyes travelled back to the Impala, made sure Sam was still in the same place he was, sighed and looked down at his watch again. Just as he was about to open his mouth and give the cashier a not so pleasant piece of his mind, ordering him to move it along, a familiar voice appeared at his side and nearly making him jump out of his skin.

"Dean, I need to talk to you."

Dean's brow furrowed in an impatient glower as he stared at the trench coat angel standing next to him,

"Cas, this is not a good time, believe it or not," he snapped sarcastically, not in the mood to hear one of God's messages right now. After what He had allowed to happen to his baby brother-HIS BROTHER-Dean didn't think he would ever want to hear what God or his angels had to say ever again,

"I have a little brother who needs me right now-"

"If you care about Sam and the state he's in, I'd suggest you follow me right now," Castiel, in his ever serious manner, interrupted, turning his back as if he expected Dean to follow him.

Glaring in outrage at his friend's back, taking a quick glance back over at his car and Sam, Dean moved out of the line and followed the angel around the corner of the store and towards the men's room. As the two walked in, Castiel locked the door quickly and turned back around to his friend,

"Dean-"

"This had damn well better be important, Cas," Dean growled,

"Do you have any idea what the hell happened to Sam?"

With a sad sigh, Cas closed his eyes briefly and nodded his head,

"That's why I need to talk with you."

0000

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N-Thank you all for your kind reviews so far, they're definitely encouraging!

**Chapter 2**

Dean stood staring at Castiel for a few moments, anger churning in the pit of his stomach as he crossed his arms over his chest,

"So you knew where he was all along, what was being done to him and you never came forward? Cas, what the hell-"

"Dean, let me say what I need to say and then you can yell at me all you want," Castiel interrupted, his tone harsher then he had intended. What he needed to tell his friend was important, he didn't expect the older brother to understand completely, but Sam's life depended on it,

"Yes, I knew what happened to him, but I was unable to intervene this time," he sighed quietly before continuing,

"I'm not sure you realize exactly what your brother went through during those days he was missing-"

"That son of a bitch CRUCIFIED HIM, Cas!" Dean snapped heatedly, feeling his face flushing red with anger,

"I think I know all I need to know!"

Cas narrowed his eyes, slowly starting to get impatient with the older Winchester,

"No, actually, you DON'T, Dean. Sam was tortured and put through more then any human being should ever have to go through, he shouldn't have even lived through this, yet Lucifer made sure he did-"

"I know that already, Cas-"

"Stop interrupting me, Dean," The angel demanded, his tone leaving little room for argument,

"Listen to me for a few minutes, because I'm only going to say this once and Sam needs you right now," His tone softened as he saw the look in Dean's eyes change at the mere mention of his brother,

"I know you and Bobby are going to want to help Sam in his recovery, I would like to as well, but you have to know that it's not going to be as simple as talking about it. He's never going to fully recover from this, he won't, and I think you know that." Cas held up a hand to stop Dean as he saw him open his mouth again to interrupt,

"I'm not just talking about physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. He's never going to be who he was before and Sam knows that. You must know that Sam's state right now is far beyond being fixed, you must be patient. Because if you don't, and you don't give him the love that he needs, you're going to lose him."

"What do you mean by that?" Dean quietly uttered, his eyes narrowing at the angel,

"I'm going to fix Sammy, Cas, I don't care what it takes.

Cas frowned at Dean before saying his final thoughts,

"Just remember that Sam is my friend, too, and you aren't the only person who will be losing him if this destroys him." With that, the angel disappeared from the bathroom as if he was never there to begin with, leaving an emotionally distraught big brother in his wake.

0000

_Sam slightly remembered what happened right before he was attacked from behind, whatever took place in between then and when he woke up in a dark, dingy basement being forced to lie down onto a piece of wood was still a fog. He fought back as hard as he could but whoever had a hold of his arms was strong and forceful, stronger then he ever was. Did they inject him with something to make him feel weak? Words were being spoken to him from above and he fought with everything in him to open his eyes and look up at whoever was holding him down._

_The first thing he noticed was that he was stripped down to just his t-shirt and boxers. His jacket, shoes and socks were gone, as well as his flannel shirt. Sam blinked rapidly and glanced up at the unfamiliar face above him, he knew he was being spoken to but he couldn't make out the words that were being said or why he was saying them._

"_What's going on?" He remembered uttering weakly, panic slowly starting to take hold of his body as he felt pressure on his arms and soon felt them being tied down on either side of him on the piece of wood he lay on. His heart started thumping loudly in his chest and he felt himself becoming more coherent. What were they doing to him? Where was he? Where was Dean?_

"_Oh don't you worry, Sam Winchester, everything is going to be just fine." The calm and cool voice whispered into his ear and Sam's eyes traveled upward as he saw what looked like…was that a nail…in the man's hand,_

"_Just fine."_

0000

Dean finished paying for the gas and hurried back towards the Impala and his little brother, who he was more desperate to get to then ever now. After speaking-or rather shouting-with Cas just minutes ago, he didn't know what to think. Sam always recovered from anything thrown his way, he was even making the most of not letting Lucifer have him as his vessel and the stupid Apocolypse looming down on them. He could recover from this, right?

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Dean, his thoughts kept telling him as his blue eyes suddenly cam to rest on his brother.

Sam was still sitting in the car where he left him, but now even from a little bit of a distance, Dean could make out the shaking and the tossing and turning. Breaking into a run and forgetting all about the gas tank, Dean rushed towards the passenger side door and pulled it open, his brother nearly falling out of the car as he did so if it wasn't for Dean catching him.

"Woah, Sammy," Dean murmered gently, grasping his brother's shoulders and helping him back into the car even as he continued to shake even more violently,

"Sam? Sammy, wake up, dude. Sam!"

Nothing. Nothing except for whimpers and crushing sobs coming from his brother even in sleep.

Remembering the words Castiel spoke in the bathroom, Dean, being ever gentle with his brother's horrific injuries but at the same time just NEEDING to comfort his little brother, pulled his brother's shaking form into his strong arms and just held on. He carefully moved so that he was sitting in the passenger seat next to Sam, even as uncomfortable as the position was, and practically cradled his baby brother in his arms, gently pulling his head down onto his shoulder.

"I'm here, Sammy," Dean whispered, doing his damndest to hold back his own emotions, he couldn't break down, he had to be stronger then ever if Sam was going to make it,

"I'm right here." Sam's sobs and whimpers slowly quieted down as Dean stroked the back of his head, his brother's always too long hair tangling into his fingers,

"I'm always right here, bro."

As Dean continued rocking his brother as he started to calm down a bit, he let his eyes travel over Sam's broken body and felt his heart clench once again in anger. His brother possibly might never walk again or have the full function of his hands for all he knew. There was too much damage down that only time would tell. That bastard, who thankfully had been arrested that night, had crippled Sam and his brother was now confined in a wheelchair possibly for the rest of his life.

"I'm sorry…" A soft voice whispered against his shoulder just then,

"Chick flick moment, Dean…" And Dean felt his brother suddenly, weakly, trying to push up against him. But the very movement caused a harsh gasp of pain to jolt through ever part of Sam's body and the tears he was just now starting to get under control started up again and Dean gently yet firmly pulled Sam back up against him.

"Who cares about chick flick moments, Sammy?" Dean whispered, closing his eyes only for a brief moment, right now wishing he never invented that rule,

"Don't you even go there and don't you dare apologize, okay?"

Sam remained silent, yet continued to rest against him,

"We need to get going, Dean. You can let go now…"

Yeah, the gas tank…Who gave a crap?

"Sam-"

"I'm okay, Dean," Sam interrupted, attempting to lift his head again as he clumsily swiped at the tears on his face, trying to get rid of any evidence of a break down during the nightmare,

"Let's fill her up and get going."

Just as his brother was about to reply, the familiar ring of Dean's phone sounded in his pocket and with a sigh, the older brother pulled out his cell in annoyance, glancing at the name only briefly before answering it,

"Bobby. Hey. Yeah, we're on our way."

0000

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Ellen, I'm glad you could be here, the boys should be here soon," Bobby Singer rolled himself out his friend's way as he let the petite woman in, noticing the look of fury and concern written all over her face.

Not one to beat around the bush, Ellen narrowed her eyes and tried to keep herself as calm as humanly possible,

"How bad is it, Bobby?"

With a sigh, Bobby rolled himself into the library of his home and shook his head in disgust,

"It's bad, I haven't seen Sam yet, but Dean has said enough." He stopped and turned to face his fellow hunter,

"That son of a bitch Jonah, is thankfully in jail, but the damage is done, Ellen…Unless we get some heavenly help down here, we don't know if Sam will ever walk again or even be himself again. Hunting is out of the question, much less taking care of himself-"

"You said over the phone that bastard kidnapped him and actually…" She could barely bring herself to say the word, disgust dripping from her voice,

"He literally crucified him? How in the name of God-"

"God did not want any of this to happen, Ellen." A new voice suddenly appeared in the room with the two hunters and Bobby and Ellen whirled to see the angel standing near the couch.

"Damn it, you featherbrained idgit," Bobby growled,

"How many times do I have to tell you not to angel poof yourself like that?" With a shake of his head, he glared heatedly in Castiel's direction,

"What do you want, Cas?"

Not bothered by Bobby's tone or his words, Cas walked towards the two hunters and looked at them as seriously as when he had spoken to Dean a few hours prior,

"I said God did not want this to happen, I did not want this to happen-"

"Yes, we heard you the first time," Bobby snapped.

What was it with these humans who seemed to have a knack for constantly wanting to interrupt? Cas just let out a patient sigh and looked both humans directly in the eye,

"Bobby, Ellen, I have not heard if this is something I will have the power to heal, I don't think I'm even strong enough to even heal Sam a little bit. Jonah damaged him in a way that is far beyond me."

"You work for God though, Cas," Ellen folded her arms across her chest and stared the trench coat angel in the eyes,

"If He allowed the Apocolypse to start and have the Devil be set free, then couldn't He at least try and help Sam?" She shook her head in disgust and stepped up so she was face to face with the angel,

"This is SAM we're talking about here, is the reason why you're not helping because he's supposed to be Lucifer's vessel? Is it because of the demon blood, Cas? Ruby? Because if it is…"

"How could you even think that, Ellen?" Cas lowered his voice and sadly looked the hunter in the eyes,

"Sam is my friend, too, and I would heal him instantly if I could, but until I know for certain, until God gives me a sign I can…" He stopped as the familiar roar of the Impala suddenly reached their ears and he looked out the window in time to see if pull up into Singer Salvage,

"/They're here. I would like to stay though, in case more help is needed-"

"Well, you're a little late for that now, Cas, aren't you?" Bobby grumbled angrily as he let Ellen take a hold of the handles of his wheelchair to push him out to the front door,

"That boy needed help weeks ago." Now completely ignoring the angel, the two hunters turned away and headed towards the front door.

0000

"We're here, Sammy," Dean cut the engine of the Impala and turned to his brother in the passenger seat. He had woken up a few minutes ago and was now staring up at Bobby's house with a look of dread on his face, but it disappeared quickly before Dean could even say anything about it,

"You know you're going to be safest here, buddy…"

"I know," Sam quietly spoke for the first time since they left the mini mart after his break down. His hazel eyes stared at their friend's house and he felt his heart jump into his throat as the front door suddenly opened and Bobby and Ellen appeared in front of them,

"Dean…."

"It's okay, Sammy, it's okay," Dean consoled as gently as he could as he knew his little brother had not been in contact with any person other then himself ever since this whole nightmare began. Not even Bobby or Ellen, at least not until now,

"Bobby and Ellen will be helping you too." He watched as a few tears started up in Sam's eyes, but were instantly pushed back before they were allowed to fall.

"What if…How do I…" Sam found it hard to say what was going through his mind, but thankfully Dean was able to figure it out without him saying anything else.

"They know, Sam, but you don't have to tell them anything you don't want to right now," He stared into his brother's eyes while resting a gentle hand on his shoulder,

"They won't judge and they won't push. You know that. If you want to confide only in me when you feel up to it, then that's okay too, man, I promise." Dean turned his head just in time to see Ellen walk hesitantly down the front porch steps and to the car.

"It'll be okay, Sammy." Dean instantly wished he hadn't said those words, that lie was such a piece of crap, how would anything be okay? He glanced nervously over at Sam, but thankfully his brother didn't even seem to flinch at the words, it was like he didn't even hear him say it. With a sad sigh, the older brother pushed open his door and walked over to where Ellen was standing.

"Oh honey," Ellen breathed out sadly as she wrapped the oldest Winchester into a hug briefly before pulling away and looking over his shoulder at the youngest,

"How is he?"

Dean shook his head, not sure how he was supposed to answer that question honestly,

"This is the first time he's been around other people besides me since it happened, Ellen, I wish I could say he was doing good, but that would be the biggest piece of crap ever."

"What can I do to help right now?" Ellen didn't need to be told twice when it came to these boys, she knew them well enough to know where they were most comfortable at and that was with each other. But her motherly instincts were kicking into overdrive right now and she was willing to do anything to help.

"His wheelchair is in the backseat, could you grab it? I'm gonna carry him inside after I get our bags," Dean requested, turning back to the car and opening the back seat door before turning to the trunk.

"Of course." Ellen didn't bother to try asking how Dean was going to manage carrying his much bigger 6'4" brother, when it came to Sam she knew Dean would do anything even if others considered it impossible. She let her eyes travel over to the youngest Winchester as she neared his side of the car,

"Hey, sweetie," She gently greeted the younger man as she knelt down beside his open door, hoping she wasn't scaring him in any way.

It took a moment for Sam to let himself turn towards the familiar face kneeling next to him. He gulped quietly and did his best not to let any of his tears fall as he took in her concerned expression and her motherly words,

"Ellen…"

Ellen felt her stomach clench at just that one word and before she knew what she was doing, she carefully reached over placed a soft kiss on his forehead and wrapped her arms as gently as possible around his shoulders. She instantly felt the younger Winchester tense up, but he didn't pull away, instead she felt his head come to rest on her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his long hair,

"You're safe here, sweetie, okay?"

No reply.

Ellen moved her eyes over Sam's head just in time to see Dean come back around to the car and the older hunter gently released her friend and rose back up to her feet to grab the wheelchair resting in the backseat,

"You sure you don't need any more help, Dean?"

"Of course I don't," Dean narrowed his eyes at the question, as if it was the most ludicrous, the most ridiculous question ever asked of him. This was Sammy they were referring to and he never needed any help getting his baby brother out of the car, even if the guy was a few inches taller then him. None of that mattered, taking care of Sam was his job and it was only because of the state Sam was in right now and the care he desperately needed was he willing to accept help from other hunters, even if they were friends of the Winchester family.

Dean waited until Ellen had grabbed the chair from the backseat and started back up to the front door of Bobby's house, before he moved back over to his brother,

"Okay, Sam, let's get inside, huh?"

"Dean, you can't carry me in there," Sam insisted, his brow furrowing at the very thought,

"I'm too big-"

Dean huffed and rolled his eyes, quickly unbuckling his brother's seat belt,

"Watch me, Sam."

With as much gentleness as he could muster and being careful of the kid's broken legs which sported twin plaster casts on each, Dean moved his arm around Sam's back and the other under his knees and lifted his 6'4" brother out of the car as if he weighed no more then a baby. Making sure he wasn't hurting Sam in away as he rose back to his feet, Dean lifted a foot and slammed the Impala's passenger door shut, quietly muttering an apology to his beloved car, but knowing that his baby understood.

After all, his brother was more important then any car and Baby would just have to live with it.

0000

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Castiel watched from inside Bobby's house as Dean carefully lifted Sam from the car and started towards the front door with his little brother in his arms. The angel closed his eyes and sighed softly before opening them again, watching as the youngest Winchester rested his head on Dean's shoulder, his heavily bandaged hands resting in his lap. Castiel moved from the window he was looking out of and turned in time to see Ellen and Bobby enter the room first, Sam's wheelchair in Ellen's hands.

Cas met Ellen's eyes briefly and then Bobby's, seeing the questioning looks on their faces. The angel was about to say something when he closed his mouth as the two Winchester brothers entered the room slowly. Although he still found human emotions difficult to understand, much less experiencing for himself, Castiel could feel his own heart breaking as he got his first good look at Sam.

Dean pretended not to notice the third figure in Bobby's library, he didn't really want to know why Cas was still here. Yes, the angel was his friend and all, but knowing how Cas had known where Sam was taken all those weeks ago, how he had known what exactly was happening to him down to every gritty detail, it left a feeling of betrayal and disgust in Dean's mouth. Even if it was "God's will", he would never understand it, much less accept it.

An awkward silence filled the room as Dean gently lowered his little brother down onto the couch cushions and took a seat next to him, making sure to keep a careful hand on Sam's upper arm.

"How you feelin', son?" Bobby broke the uncomfortable silence as he wheeled himself closer to the couch, pulling a blanket off of the arm of it and handing it to Dean, who immediately covered the lower half of his brother with it.

Sam lifted his hazel eyes, knowing it really was just an innocent question and somebody had to say something, but at the same time feeling embarrassment and shame fill him and he felt his entire face turn red and then turned a disturbing shade of pale,

"How do you want me to answer that, Bobby?" he finally replied, his voice so quiet Dean almost had to lean in to hear.

Glancing up at Ellen, the older hunter smiled sadly at the boy he had always considered a son,

"You can answer it any way you want to, Sam, you don't have to hide anything here. You know that. Both of you do." He nodded in Dean's direction as he spoke,

"You went through hell, son-"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Bobby" Sam interrupted, his voice a notch higher but no anger present in it,

"I can't talk about it…"

"We know, Sammy," Dean carefully squeezed his brother's arm."

Castiel watched the interaction from the other side of the room, moving towards the doorway of the library, his own thoughts suddenly seeming a million miles away and an unreadable expression on his face. He knew he needed to talk to Dean soon, there were things he never told his friend back at the mini mart, but how Dean was going to react to it was beyond his knowledge. The older brother was so protective of Sam, who knew what Dean would do once he heard this, for all Cas knew the human could thrown a punch at him if he was angry enough.

With a shake of his head, Castiel moved back into the room,

"Dean, I need to speak with you."

Feeling annoyed all over again at the angel, Dean turned towards him and narrowed his eyes, his hand never leaving Sam's arm,

"You already spoke with me, Cas-"

"Yes, I did, and I need to speak with you again," His tone once again left no room for argument as he shot Dean a hard look,

"That's not a request." He waited until Dean rolled his eyes and stood up from the couch, glancing at the remaining two hunters,

"Bobby. Ellen."

"You know it, boy," Bobby grumbled with a nod as Ellen moved to sit down next to Sam. After making sure his brother was as comfortable as he could be, Dean moved towards the door and followed Castiel into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

"What now?" He demanded, flopping down into one of the chairs set up at the table,

"Why are you still here anyways?"

"I told Bobby and Ellen I want to stay and help Sam as much as I can, but there's something I didn't tell you the last time we talked."

Just as Dean was about to reply, the sound of Bobby's wheelchair sounded from the doorway and the older hunter moved towards where Dean sat,

"You're going to have to tell both of us, Cas, especially if it's in regards to Sam in there." He nodded towards the library,

"Spit it out."

The angel shook at his head with another sigh, knowing he was going to have to just go with it and tell both,

"Jonah escaped."

0000

Dean's hands were on Castiel's trench coat lapels before Bobby could make a move to grab him and was suddenly in the angel's face,

"Dean!" He snapped heatedly, moving towards the younger man and was about to make a move to grab the back of his jacket and drag him back to his chair when Castiel moved first and not so gently shoved Dean back,

"Damn it, you idgit, calm down!"

"Calm down?!" Dean shouted, staying seated not an option at this point in time,

"Calm down? The bastard that crucified my brother escaped from jail and you want me to calm down?"

"Yes, Dean!" Castiel raised his voice above Dean's and before the younger hunter could do anything, the angel was now in his face, glaring into his eyes,

"You have to calm down, at least right now, because I'm not finished." Before Dean could retort back, Cas continued,

"He was being transferred to a mental institution this morning when he somehow managed to escape, okay? There was no stopping it, just like there was no stopping him kidnapping Sam in the first place, and if what I saw is correct, then he is on his way to get Sam back-"

"Like HELL he is!"

"I know, that's another thing, Dean. Bobby." He looked back and forth between the two hunters, hoping by the time they were done talking, they wouldn't rip him apart feather by feather, wing by wing. Because when it came to Sam…Dean was capable of anything.

"Look, you must know this, I'm not even supposed to be here right now, just like I was not supposed to help rescue Sam when he was taken. I'm going against direct orders from God. But you and Sam are my friends, you must know that, and I want to help protect him as much as I can."

Finding himself speechless now, Dean opened and closed his mouth without saying a word and lowered himself back into his chair,

"You-I… You mean to tell me that God's will is for my baby brother to suffer? Is that it, Cas?" The older Winchester felt his voice break as he finally spoke,

"Tell me that's not what you're saying…"

"Unfortunately, it is, Dean, that's why I'm here," Cas looked between Dean and Bobby, seeing different emotions displayed on both their faces; anger, sadness, grief, fear, all rolled into one,

"I can't promise I can heal Sam, even a little bit, especially since I'm going against direct orders, but I want to try something to at least keep Sam safe from Lucifer's torment. Can you two trust me to do that?"

"Do it." Bobby spoke before Dean could interject,

"If you can do anything to help that kid…then do it." Bobby held up his hand as he saw Dean about to interrupt,

"Dean, he hasn't given us reason not to trust him, I say we go for it."

0000

"Why are you here, Ellen?" Sam quietly asked as he leaned against the pillows on the couch, trying to get as comfortable as possible despite the intense pain and trying to ignore the shouting coming from the nearby kitchen,

"Bobby…he told you…"

Ellen felt tears well up in her dark eyes as she looked into Sam's face, taking in every emotion he appeared to be trying to hold back. Seeing him like this was killing her, and she could only imagine what this was doing to Dean, and of course Sam himself who had to live through such a nightmare. The older hunter who was like an adopted mother to the Winchester boys, reached over and cupped Sam's cheek in her hand, running her thumb gently over his cheek,

"Yeah, he did, sweetie, but you don't have to worry about our feelings about you or think we think any less of you. Because, Sam, they haven't. You're so strong, honey, you know that?"

"Ellen, please…I don't…I can't…"

"I know, honey, nobody will force you to talk about this, okay?" Ellen looked into the sad hazel eyes looking directly at her and swallowed as she saw a few tears threaten to appear. With a gentle touch only a mother could do, Ellen gently swiped at the lone tear making its appearance with her thumb.

The sound of the door opening once again caused Ellen to turn towards the sound and raised an eyebrow as Dean, Bobby and Castiel entered the library once again. Dean still looked mighty pissed, but also a tad calmer-at least the shouting had stopped. Before she could question what all that was about, Dean turned towards the angel who was walking over towards Sam,

"If you're going to do this, I'm not leaving the room."

With a huff, Bobby shook his head and motioned for Ellen to follow him,

"We wouldn't expect anything less, boy."

0000

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- I admit, I'm so surprised yet thrilled with all the reviews this is getting, some of you have been making me laugh (yes, I'm looking at you, Tams!), some of you just make me blush and then some I just want to apologize to for making them cry. LOL! Sorry about that, I guess that's something that's never changed… This following chapter won't be any different in the tear-jerker department, and I'll apologize in advance where I left it. *ducks*

**Chapter 5**

"All done."

Dean watched with a critical eye as Castiel took his hands off of Sam's head and then turned to his brother, who thankfully didn't appear to be in any more amounts of pain then he already was. His eyes never left his brother as he saw Sam's eyes close and then re-open to look Castiel in the eye,

"Thank you, Cas…" He breathed out, his voice coming out in no louder then a whisper.

"You're my friend, Sam Winchester," Castiel seriously voiced,

"I help my friends in any way I can." With a gentle smile, Cas gently squeezed Sam's arm and rose from the couch, turning to Dean,

"Keep track of his nightmares, Dean. I've placed a mental shield inside his head which isn't permanent, but it should ward off Lucifer for the time being. If nightmares and visions start that don't have anything to do with Jonah, then we've got another problem-"

"I always keep track of my brother, Cas," Dean shook his head and rolled his eyes that anybody would think otherwise,

"Lucifer won't get anywhere near him, not as long as I'm still breathing."

"Make sure you don't die then," Cas tilted his head to the side before turning back to Sam,

"I still need to tell him-"

"No." Dean interrupted with a growl in his voice,

"I'll tell him. Later. Could you give us some space, please?"

Before Dean could ask again, the angel disappeared with a flutter of wings and the older brother's immediate attention was turned to his injured brother. He sat down on the couch next to Sam in the seat Castiel had just vacated and waited until his little brother turned to face him,

"You doing okay, Sammy?"

"If you mean did Cas hurt me, no he didn't," Sam could read his brother like a book and knew instantly that that question wasn't directed at his current state,

"And I'm fine."

"No you're not, Sam," Dean shook his head,

"No you're not. Nobody could go through what you went through and come out of it 'okay', so don't give me that-"

"Don't, Dean," Sam lifted pain-filled hazel eyes to his brother,

"If I talk about it…it will destroy me."

"If you don't talk about it, it will destroy you faster," Dean gently squeezed Sam's shoulder,

"And if that happens…well, I won't let it happen, Sammy. Just know that I'll follow right behind you, little bro."

Sam had been trying to so hard to blink back all the tears that were building up and building up, because he knew that if he let them fall, they wouldn't stop. The pain wouldn't stop. The memories and the nightmares that were very real. It was like re-living the whole experience all over again and Sam would rather die then do that…

"Sammy."

"Dean…" He allowed a few tears to trickle onto his cheek, which were brushed away by the soft thumb of his brother,

"Dean, what am I supposed to say?"

"Anything. You know that."

"He broke me, Dean, I can't be fixed."

"Yes, you can," Dean refused to believe otherwise. He gently cupped his brother's face in his hands and brushed the loose strands of hair away from his eyes,

"With help, you can. And the help that you'll be receiving is sitting right in front of you telling you that you can tell me anything you want, Sammy." Dean's heart pounded loudly in his chest and broke all over again as he saw Sam tearfully shake his head in his hands.

Not giving up, Dean nodded,

"I will never give up on you, brother. You can talk to me whenever you want to, to Bobby and Ellen.

Anybody you want to. Know why, Sam?" Knowing he was getting all chick-flick here, Dean remembered a time when just a few weeks ago when he would never allow himself to talk like this. He knew he would have laughed in Sam's face if he had told him back then something like this would be happening weeks down the line,

"Because everybody that is in this house loves you, cares about you and will damn it if we'll let anything else happen to you." Dean knew he had yet to mention Jonah's escape, that was something that had to be brought up, but with the way things were going right now and Sam's emotional state, now was not the time. It wasn't like Jonah would be getting near his little brother any time soon anyways.

Sam nodded his head jerkily and bit his bottom lip, unable to respond to Dean's words. Instead he just allowed his brother to lean his forehead against his briefly before carefully wrapping his arms around his shoulders and held him until he fell asleep.

0000

"_Okay, man, I'm going to the library to do some more research on this town, I read online they have a huge book collection of just the stuff I need to find for this case," Sam grabbed his cell phone, shoved it in his pocket and reached down to grab his duffel,_

"_I should be back in a few hours, are you going to be interviewing those neighbors we were discussing earlier?"_

"_Yeah, yeah, Sammy, I'm on it, don't worry your pretty little head," Dean waved his hand towards the door,_

"_This is as easy as pie for me, remember? If members of this town really are being killed off by demons, I'll figure it out. Just give me a shout when you're done and I'll swing by to pick you up, alright?"_

_Sam nodded as he reached for the door knob of their motel room,_

"_Sure thing." _

_As Sam walked quietly down the main road leading away from the motel he and his brother were currently occupying, he younger hunter allowed himself time to breathe in the fresh morning air as he walked, feeling the wind whip gently through his hair. He had to admit, it was a nice change for once to actually be working on a case that right now, as far as they knew, had nothing to do with the Apocalypse, just he and his big brother rolling into towns in the Impala like the old days._

_But it wasn't like the old days, Sam knew that deep down and just like that, a fresh wave of guilt swept over him. He shifted his duffel to his other shoulder and kept walking. As the wind picked up, nobody in this small town except for himself out at this time in the morning, Sam looked over his shoulder and around him, his hunter instincts on full alert as he felt an unsettling feeling deep in his gut. Just as he turned back around and was about to shrug that feeling off, the young man felt a hand grab him suddenly from behind and a cloth going over his mouth, instantly drowning him in darkness._

_Hours had to have passed before Sam even slightly felt himself coming to. A few sharp slaps to his face did nothing to rouse him. It wasn't until he felt himself being grabbed by the arms and pulled did he force his eyes to open and look around him. Wherever he was, it was dark except for a small light in the corner to give his captor some light at least. Sam looked down at himself as shivers ran through his body and knew right away why he was cold. He had been stripped down to just his boxers and his t-shirt and whoever had a hold of him had suddenly stopped dragging him and was now forcing him down onto something hard._

"_De'n…" He mumbled, barely coherent as he forced his eyes to stay open long enough to figure out what was happening to him,_

"_De'nnn…"_

_His captor completely ignored him. Figured._

"_What's going on?" He mumbled again, trying to raise his voice, but it barely did anything. Sam vaguely remembered being grabbed from behind and a rag going over his mouth…was that chloroform that was used…was that why he was so out of it?_

"_What's…going on?" Sam repeated weakly, his heart starting to pound loudly in his chest as he felt his arms being tied down on either side of him. He suddenly realized he was lying flat on his back on a piece of wood. What the hell? Was this some kind of sick joke? Where was his brother? Where was Dean? Why couldn't he think straight?_

_Sam shifted on the wood uncomfortably and raised his hazel eyes up just in time to see an unfamiliar face appear in front of him, grinning. The smile on his face was sickening to the younger hunter and he Sam could only imagine what was about to happen to him. He attempted to move his legs but soon found another reason to panic: They were tied down as well._

"_Don't you worry, Sam Winchester, everything is going to be just fine," He softly spoke, the grin widening as he met Sam's eyes,_

"_Just fine."_

_Sam jerked around some more and his eyes suddenly widened in horror at what he thought he saw in the man's hand. Was that a…no, it couldn't be, people were crazy, but they weren't THAT sick...that couldn't be a nail, could it? Sam looked over towards his right arm and suddenly everything started to sink in as he felt the nail being nestled onto his wrist,_

"_No. No. No, please…please!" The chloroform was either starting to wear off or Sam's panic outdid the chloroform, either way, panic and desperation and a fear unlike anything he'd ever known swam over him as he saw the small hammer in the man's other hand._

"_NO!"_

_And all he felt was pain._

0000

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- I'm sorry this chapter's a bit shorter then my previous ones, but I've had a very rough couple of days and I'm kind of an emotional wreck at the moment, but I wanted to get a little something out. My brain isn't functioning properly with me at the moment as it's pretty overwhelmed with personal stuff right now. So I apologize that this is a bit shorter, but I guess you can say that the emotions displayed in this chapter is pretty much what I've been feeling these past few days (not to the extent of what poor Sammy went through of course, but pain and anger nonetheless…)

**Chapter 6**

"C'mon, Sammy, wake up, bro," Dean urged desperately as he rocked his little brother gently in his arms, feeling the shakes and trembling coming from Sam's body as he was plagued once again with nightmares,

"Sam? Sam!" The older Winchester carded his fingers through his brother's long hair before carefully trying to shake him out of the torture that was invading his mind,

"C'mon, damnit, wake up!"

As Sam continued to let out painful whimpers and groans in his sleep, but refused to awaken fully, Dean closed his eyes and continued rocking, hoping the soothing motion would somehow rouse his brother out of the painful nightmare he was re-living once again,

"Sammy, you're okay, you're okay, you're not there anymore, come back to us, little bro."

Dean glanced over Sam's head just as Bobby made his way back into the library,

"God, this is not happening to him…"

"Dean-"

"No, Bobby, this should not be happening to him!" Dean snapped, his stomach churning with fear and anger,

"None of it! I don't care what Cas said, or what GOD said for that matter…Sam does not deserve this, Bobby-"

"Of course he doesn't, you damn idgit!" The older hunter snapped back, his expression hardening slightly before softening for a moment as he took in Sam shaking in Dean's arms,

"Don't even get me started with you thinking this is your fault-"

"Oh it damn well is, Bobby," Dean huffed as he met his friend's eyes.

"Since when? Since Jonah decided it was God's will to kidnap your brother and torture him? Since you thought it would be safe for him to walk to a library by himself? Damn it, Dean, none of us saw this coming-"

"No one but God though, right?" Dean sarcastically growled,

"I know exactly what Cas was saying back there, Sam was not supposed to live through this, but how in the hell would it suddenly be okay for this to happen to him?"

"Dean! It's not okay, alright? None of it's okay, but if you stop for one second and listen to yourself, you're saying that you suddenly should have known that your brother would be crucified by some maniac pretending to BE God!"

"It's my JOB, Bobby," Dean's voice cracked slightly as he felt his brother's trembling increase,

"I should have let him take the damn car, Jonah never would have kidnapped him if I had just let him use the car…since when did the Impala matter more to me then my own kid brother, Bobby? I didn't even offer-"

"Damn it, boy-"

"Dean…" A quiet voice suddenly interrupted and Dean looked down at his brother just as he was opening his eyes.

"My God, finally…" The older brother breathed a sigh of relief as he gently released Sam and leaned him back up against the pillows,

"You scared the living shit out of me, Sammy-"

"It's not your fault, Dean…" Sam whispered, for once ignoring the tears he knew were making their appearance on his face,

"It never was.."

"You listen to your brother, ya idgit," Bobby grumbled, knowing he needed to give the two brothers some privacy and rolled himself back into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind him.

"That was quite a nightmare there, Sam," Dean wasn't about to let his brother be the one to comfort him as he changed the subject, seeing Sam start to object,

"Nope. We're not talking about me here, Sammy, okay? That can wait." He grinned slightly as he watched his brother frown and turn on the ultimate "bitch face",

"Not gonna work this time, Sammy, I mean it."

Sam knew arguing was useless, it hardly ever worked with his brother, but what else was he supposed to say?

"What did you dream about?"

The question threw Sam for a loop and he could only imagine, just by looking at Dean's face, what kind of expression was on his own. Fear and pain suddenly grabbed a hold of him and wouldn't let go.

"You know what," He finally whispered, lowering his eyes so Dean couldn't see the pain clearly written on his face.

"Tell me, Sam."

"How?"

"Just one step at a time, kiddo," Dean urged gently,

"I've got all day."

Sam slowly looked back up at his brother as his lower lip started trembling, unable to stop it this time. This previous nightmare was so vivid…so real…he could almost feel the pain himself like he was experiencing it for the first time.

"Sam. Just tell me."

Feeling part of the dam within him start to break and his eyes watering all over again, Sam felt part of the wall he was holding up around his ever fragile emotions start to crumble as he looked his brother in the eye and whispered,

"He…He came out of nowhere, Dean, I swear…"

Dean held his breath, this was what his brother needed to get out and he wasn't about to interrupt.

"I-I didn't see it coming…I didn't even hear Jonah coming," Sam looked down at his hands, memory after memory washing over him,

"It happened so quickly, Dean…One minute I was walking to the library, the next…" His voice cracked slightly before he continued slowly,

"The next I woke up in…in some sort of warehouse or basement, I don't know, but it was dark. Very dark."

Dean's heart raced as he rested a careful hand on Sam's arm, offering whatever support and comfort he could at the moment.

"He didn't say anything at first, all I felt was being slapped…it was as if he wanted to make sure I was awake through it all, so that I could experience as much pain as possible. It worked, Dean…I felt him dragging me over to-to a piece of wood which I didn't know what it was at the time," Sam gulped and closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to look his brother in the eye as he spoke everything that happened next,

"I tried to call for you, Dean, I did…I tried, but Jonah had to have used chloroform when he drugged me, because I felt so…so lightheaded and it took everything in me just to ask what was going on…" Tears trickled down his cheeked, which he didn't even bother to blink back this time. What was the point? Dean was seeing everything first hand right now,

"I tried to move, but he had tied me down. That's when I started panicking, I knew whatever was going on wasn't good…the next thing I knew, Jonah was in my face and he was holding…He was holding a nail…I knew what it was for, Dean, but I didn't think people that sick existed…He was saying it all was going to be okay…Then…"

Dean couldn't take it anymore, he grabbed a hold of his brother's shoulders and once more pulled him to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly yet carefully around him as he felt his own tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He thought he knew what was coming when his brother finally started to let himself feel everything and talk with him about it, but he wasn't prepared for the intense sobs that came next as Sam buried his face deep into the crook of his neck and the words that came with it,

"Why did he do this, Dean?"

And for once, Dean found himself speechless.

0000

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was only natural to believe that once you talk about something, you would start to feel better, that it would take a weight off of you. That you would start to feel some relief, even if only just a little, especially if you were in the presence of someone who loved you unconditionally. Sam had believed that his whole life, despite all of the horrible crap that had been thrown his way over the years, he still had held onto not only his faith but that one small belief. That was part of the reason why in the past he always insisted on talking things through instead of letting them fester.

And then Jonah happened and things took a drastic turn for the worse.

As his brother rocked him carefully in his arms, not saying a word much to Sam's relief, Sam fought with everything inside of him to ward back the never ending stream of tears that were cascading down as face as he finally opened up to Dean. Where had that come from? He was never planning on talking about the kidnapping or the torture that was inflicted on him, he never intended on spilling his guts right now, especially right now… And once that started, once the tears started, they became nearly impossible to hold back and instead of feeling better, Sam felt himself feeling worse.

"I'm so sorry, Dean," He whispered into his brother's shoulder as he trembled under Dean's comforting touch,

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

"Stop, Sammy," Dean choked out finally, resting his chin on the crown of Sam's head,

"Don't apologize to me, ya hear me? I don't want to hear none of that, okay?"

"I have to," Sam leaned his forehead in until his face was fully hidden in Dean's shoulder,

"I shouldn't…I can't do this…"

"You have to do this and you know it, Sam."

"It's my fault-"

"Like hell it is, kid," Dean interrupted, his voice a little harsher then intended as he pushed back a tad and tried to meet his brother's eyes,

"If I even hear you say it's your fault again…Just don't, Sammy."

"I-I thought this was supposed to make me feel better," Sam continued quietly, ducking his head until his bangs fell into his red-rimmed eyes,

"I thought talking about it would…Dean, is it possible to feel worse?"

"Cut yourself some slack, Sam," Dean demanded as he narrowed his eyes at his little brother, his heart breaking all over again at the devastation and torment plainly written all over Sam's face,

"This is not going to happen overnight, kiddo-"

"You don't understand, Dean," Sam lifted his gaze finally and let his brother see the full extent of the pain in his hazel eyes,

"Nobody can understand-"

"And that's exactly why you need to continue talking with us about it, Sam, that's why you should not keep any of it inside."

"You have."

Dean flinched slightly as he recalled the numerous times he had done just that, from the time his father died making that deal, to his own deal to save Sam's life and everything that even remotely involved a chick-flick moment. Yes, he had done those things and even unintentionally hurt his kid brother because he shut him out, but all those things, all of it…It all seemed like nothing in comparison to what Sam had been through and his brother needed to know that.

"Yes, I did and I still do, and I was wrong, Sam. Okay? But you have to understand, Sammy, that what you went through…this will destroy you from the inside out if you don't talk to me about it. And I will not let that happen, so help me God if it does…"

"Dean-"

"You've already started, little bro, and that's a start. You don't have to talk anymore until you're ready, but you will talk about it. Even if I have to stay up all night with you, I won't let you destroy yourself."

Sam lowered his gaze once more at Dean's last words,

"How can you stop it, Dean…"

Dean reached over gently and grasped his brother's face in his hands, lifting it back up to look at him,

"Because I'm your brother, Sammy, and I won't let it happen. I would gladly go back to Hell with the devil himself before I let that happen."

Tears once more streaked down Sam's face at his brother's words and he shook his head,  
"I won't let you do that-"

"Then don't do this, don't let yourself be destroyed, don't let Jonah have one more piece of my baby brother." As Sam quietly nodded his head, Dean let out an exhausted sigh and leaned his forehead against his brother's. He wished to hell he didn't have to say this next, but remembering what Castiel had told him, he knew he had to let Sam in on this. He would rather he heard it from him then anybody else, especially a featherbrained angel,

"Sammy, there's something else I have to tell you-and it sure as hell is not going to be easy to hear, but you have to know it."

"What?" Sam uttered through his tears.

The older Winchester kept his hands on either side of Sam's face as he looked into his eyes,

"When Cas was here earlier, he told us some…not so pleasant news…news about Jonah-"

"He escaped, didn't he?" Sam interrupted, for some unknown reason not at all surprised at this revelation,

"I'm not surprised."

"Sammy-"

"Nothing can hold a guy like that, not jail or a mental institution," Sam continued, trying to not let any fear show although he knew his brother saw right through him,

"Is he coming for me…?"

"He won't be touching you, Sammy, not as long as I'm around, got it?" Dean promised, his protectiveness towards his little brother showing plainly in his tone of voice. Nobody hurt Sam and lived to tell about it, especially sons of bitches like Jonah who didn't even deserve to live.

"Don't let him…please, don't let him do this again, Dean," Sam pleaded, his breath starting to come out in short gasps, the panic and fear at this news he wanted to hide slowly inching towards the surface.

"He will be burning in Hell before he does that to you again, Sammy," Dean gently brushed his brother's hair back from his face before once again taking Sam back into his arms and rubbing his back,'

"I will not let you down, little bro."

Sam wished with all his might that his arms didn't hurt so much so that he could properly hug his brother back, but in spite of the pain he shakily lifted his hands and clumsily let his fingers grasp onto the front of Dean's shirt. It was the closest he was able to get to returning a hug for a while with all the damage done. He tightly closed his eyes and let a few more tears fall from them as he fingered the amulet hanging from his brother's neck.

0000

Castiel stood unnoticed to the human eye at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he watched Jonah in the warehouse. The angel knew that this was not the same place where Sam was taken and tortured at this man's very hands, but as he saw this sick excuse for a human being gather pieces of wood together, he knew this man was in intent on having history repeat itself.

Cas knew that he was going against God's orders, he knew that Sam was not supposed to live through this and he was supposed to stay out of it. But heaven help him, he would willingly fall from grace if he had to, if that was what his punishment would be. He would not let this Jonah person do this to Sam Winchester again, not as long as Sam still had friends who cared and loved him around.

He watched as Jonah worked as quietly as he could, he probably thought he had gotten away with everything, that nobody would find him, that he was doing God's work himself and everything would go according to plan this time, but Cas knew better. This man would be brought to justice finally, the angel would make sure of it for his friend's sake…for his sanity…

No longer caring what his punishment was going to be, Castiel narrowed his eyes again and stepped towards this human who had hurt his friend so badly and brutally. Within a few moments, he made himself visible in the room.

"You've picked the wrong person to torture, Jonah."

0000

"How's he doing, Bobby?" Ellen asked as she sat down at the kitchen table and offered Bobby a beer, which he took readily,

"I couldn't help overhearing some of their conversation."

The older hunter shook his head and grunted before taking a swig of his beer,

"Dean told him about Jonah, looks like."

Ellen sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling briefly before turning back to her friend,

"How'd he take it?"

"Hard to say, Ellen, it seems like Sam took it as well as can be expected, but…I don't know."

"What?" Ellen demanded.

"I know those boys like they were my own, Ellen, you know that," He watched as Ellen nodded in agreement as she felt the same thing towards the Winchester boys,

"So I can see right through them, and with everything Sam's been through…I might be wrong here, but judging from Dean not wanting to talk to me, it seems to me that Sam is willing to let himself be destroyed to stop the pain he's in."

"He wouldn't do that, Bobby," Ellen whispered with a shake of her auburn head.

"That's what I keep thinking, but…put yourself in his shoes, how would you feel?" Bobby frowned worriedly as he met his friend's eyes.

Ellen didn't know what to say to this, it came as a punch to the gut, there was no way in hell Dean would even allow his brother to fall that hard into the depression he was apparently in. But what about Sam and how he was feeling? Did he really see everything as so hopeless that he would willingly allow himself to be destroyed?

0000

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Castiel narrowed his eyes dangerously as Jonah lifted his head calmly, a little too calm for his liking, and looked in his direction. No surprise was evident on the man's face as he looked at the angel, it was as if he was used to seeing supernatural creatures suddenly showing up out of nowhere and talking to him. But that couldn't be possible, could it?

"An angel of the Lord…" Jonah breathed in, a sick smile forming on his face as he looked at the angel as if he had not spoken,

"I knew one was bound to show up sooner or later-"

Before Jonah could say anything further, Cas was standing in front of him, a hand wrapping around his throat,

"If you know what's good for you, you'll not speak unless I give you permission to speak, is that understood?"

Jonah gasped for breath, shock appearing on his face but nodded his head in understanding just as Castiel released him but remained in his face, outrage written plainly on the angel's face.

"Good. Now, you know why I'm here, Jonah…if that's even your name." Cas growled in anger,

"You will be lucky if you get out of this alive, because nobody touches Sam Winchester and lives to regret it-"

"You know about Sam," Jonah interrupted, knowing this was the perfect opportunity to put his plan back into action. This angel of the Lord could help him, after all he was doing God's will,

"That's perfect-"

His head was suddenly snapped back as a punch unlike anything he had ever known before came in contact with his left cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground. Castiel watched the human fall to the floor, not caring in the least that this was not something he was supposed to do, and glared in outrage at Jonah,

"If you so much as look or touch Sam ever again, know this, I will not be the one that will be taking your life. His brother Dean will, and you should be afraid if he kills you."

"I thought angels were not supposed to threaten us," Jonah rose to his feet, placing a hand on his bruised cheek,

"That's not what God would want-"

"You're not a human," Castiel spit out,

"No human would do what you have done with a clean conscience, that much I do know. And you wouldn't know what God wants, Jonah. Just know this. You're being watched, and Sam is being guarded, so if I see you again, know that I won't be so nice to you."

"I thought you would say something like that," Jonah smiled,

"But I have to go through with this, God told me to do it, I'm doing His will. An angel of the Lord should know that." His smile widened as he stepped around Castiel and started to get back to work,

"But no matter what, I have my ways. I know what needs to be done, and it will be done."

0000

Ellen finished folding down the fold-away bed in Bobby's library and smoothed down the blanket before backing away as Dean moved to help his brother into it that night,

"Need any more help, boys?"

"I've got it from here, Ellen, thanks," Dean smiled weakly her way as their friend moved over towards Sam and ran her fingers through his dark hair.

"Sleep well, honey," With a final kiss to his forehead, the older hunter moved out of the room just as Bobby rolled his way in, his eyes never leaving the Winchesters as he watched them. Once again, as if his little brother weight nothing, Dean lifted him and the blanket that was still wrapped around his legs off the couch and to the bed.

"Dean, you gonna be okay down here?" Bobby's brow crinkled in concern for both of his boys,

"That couch isn't the most comfortable thing in this place…"

"I'm staying down here, Bobby," Dean replied without any thought. There was no question in his mind where he belonged while they were staying here, he wasn't leaving Sam's side and that was it,

"If I can handle those hard as a rock motel beds, I can handle your couch." He tried to make light of the situation, but Bobby could hear the pain his voice, it was clear as day,

"Besides, it's not as uncomfortable as you make it out to be."

"Dean," Sam whispered, speaking for the first time in the last few minutes as they prepared to turn in for the night,

"You can sleep upstairs-"

"Maybe I can, but I won't," Dean firmly interjected,

"You know as well as I do, that ain't happening, Sammy, not for a while."

Sam lowered his eyes away from his brother and Bobby and looked down at the floor, knowing arguing was useless,

"I know."

Dean took a seat on the bed next to his little brother and pulled the sheets and blankets up around his chest,

"You'll be fine tonight, but I'm still sleeping on that couch." With a final look at Bobby and nodded as head, silently telling him they needed privacy for what he was about to do, Dean turned back to Sam. He nodded down to his bandaged hands lying on his chest,

"You ready to get those changed, Sammy?"

Sam gulped, trying not to let his fear show on his face, but nodded. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. This was the first time since leaving the hospital they were going to attempt changing the bandages, each time a nurse at had done so in the last few weeks, it was while he was sleeping and was under a lot of pain medications,

"Just-Just get it over with, Dean…:"

Dean gently squeezed his brother's upper arm and reached down to grab the first aid kit from the floor, placing it on the bed in front of him before grabbing a glass of water and a prescribed bottle of painkillers off of the end table,

"Here, take these, Sammy." He twisted the lid off of the bottle and shook out two of the pills,

"I'll be as careful and quick as possible, but I don't want this to hurt you."

With a tearful nod, Sam allowed his brother to help him swallow the pills down and took one more sip of water,

"Okay."

"Okay," Dean repeated, gently taking Sam's left hand in his and carefully starting to undo the never-ending bandages. The doctors at the hospital had given him all the instructions on how to do this as quickly and carefully as possible, but he still cringed inwardly as Sam let out a pained hiss at just the mere touch of Dean's hands. The older Winchester quickly looked up at his brother and let himself cry inside at the few tears visible on Sam's face, his face scrunched up in pain as he bit his lower lip to keep from screaming out loud,

"You're doin' real good there, Sam."

Finally, the remainder of the last bandage came off in his hands and Dean let his eyes skim over the flesh of Sam's left hand, cringing visibly now as he saw the nail holes in his brother's wrist. He grabbed some alcohol wipes from the first aid kit and carefully wiped around Sam's hand, being careful of the swollen and red flesh staring up at him.

"Please, just hurry, Dean," Sam pleaded through clenched teeth, more tears trailing down his cheeks at the agony of not just the alcohol,

"Please…"

Dean quickly grabbed fresh bandages from the kit and gently rewrapped his brother's arm until it was snug but not too tight,

"How's that feel, Sammy? Not too tight?"

Let out a shaky breath, Sam nodded but kept his hazel eyes shut,

"'t's good…"

"I'm sorry, man," Dean whispered, wanting to give his brother time to catch his breath before doing his right hand,

"I know that must have killed like a bitch."

Sam nodded painfully and opened his eyes to meet his brother's,

"How bad is it?"

Dean shook his head stubbornly, refusing to show his brother the damage that was done to him,

"Not now, Sammy."

Sam nodded silently and let the silence fill the air for a few moments before lowering his eyes again,

"Is this how it's gonna be from now on? I can't have you babysitting me for the rest of my life, Dean…"

Dean sighed quietly and shook his head, his heart clenching in hatred towards Jonah all over again,

"If you think for one minute I'm going to leave you alone, you've got another thing coming, Sammy."

"And Jonah?"

"We'll deal with Jonah, Sam," Dean promised, his hatred towards the man who had dared touch his baby brother showing plainly in his voice,

"He will not get away with this."

"What if he already has?"

"He hasn't," Dean growled,

"I promise, Sam. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch myself if it's the last thing I do."

"He's still human-"

"Doesn't matter," Dean interrupted,

"You know the drill, Sam, anybody touches you, they die. End of story."

Sam met his brother's eyes again and saw nothing but absolute resolve and determination, but also pain anger, on his face,

"He's probably on his way here right now, isn't he?"

"Don't think like that, Sammy," Dean lowered his voice some, not wanting his brother to think he was angry with him,

"This whole house is protected, Bobby and Ellen have seen to that, and although I'm angry as hell at Cas for letting this happen, he's on our side as well. Even if God isn't."

"What do we do then?" Sam murmured quietly, blinking back another round of tears,

"I mean…I'm pretty much useless, Dean…"

"You heal, Sammy," Dean pushed the first aid kit aside for the moment, making room to sit beside his brother and wrap his arm around him,

"That's all you need to worry about, and we'll do the rest."

Dean felt his brother nod his head against his arm and soon felt a warm wetness against his shoulder, his heart breaking as he knew that could only mean that Sam was crying again. With a soft sigh, he lowered his chin to rest on top of Sam's head and kissed it gently.

0000

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"You're doing real good there, sweetie, one more time."

Sam gritted his teeth in agony as he attempted to flex his fingers once more for the nurse, pain shooting through him each time he moved his hand. But stubbornness won out even as tears fell from his closed eyes, Dean's hand squeezing his shoulder to try and coax him through it.

"Well done, Sam," The auburn haired nurse encouraged, patting her patient's arm gently as she placed it back in Sam's lap,

"You're making nice progress, honey." She smiled gently as she jotted down more notes in the chart in her hands,

"Dr. Collins will be in with you shortly, alright?"

The brothers each nodded as the petite nurse left the exam room and closed the door behind her. Usually, Dean knew his gaze normally would have followed the nurse out the door-Katie, did she say her name was? This time however, the older Winchester couldn't care less, hot chicks or not, none of that mattered to him right now, all that mattered was the little brother sitting next to him in the wheelchair, agony written plainly all over his face.

"How you doin' there, big guy?" Dean knelt down at his brother's side,

"You did great for your first post hospital visit-"

"I feel like shit, Dean," Sam interrupted, his voice trembling as he spoke,'

"I didn't think it could hurt anymore…"

Dean sighed and rested his hands on his brother's upper arms,

"You still did good, Sammy, alright? Believe that, I wouldn't lie to you."

"I just wanta go home, Dean…" Sam whispered miserably, lifting his eyes from his lap and allowing Dean to see the raw agony there,

"I don't want any more doctors and nurses touching me-"

"We will, Sam," Dean interrupted with a nod of his head,

"Just as soon as the doc checks you out herself, we'll go back to Bobby's. But you need to be here right now, bro, alright? They won't hurt you, I swear, I won't let it." He placed his hand on the back of his brother's neck and pulled his head down till it rested against his shoulder,

"I promise, Sammy."

"Sam. Dean."

Dean jumped as the familiar voice sounded next to him again and he saw the same look of surprise and fear written on Sam's face as well,

"God, Cas, could you try not to creep up on us like this right now? I swear, I think I just peed my pants…" The older brother kept his hand on the back of his brother's neck even as he spoke to the angel,

"Where have you been, by the way?"

"I found Jonah."

At those three little words, Dean's face contorted in anger and hatred towards the man who had harmed his brother this way. Slowly, he rose to his feet and stepped forward till he was in Castiel's face,

"Where is the son of a bitch? You better have kept him alive, because so help me God, he will wish he was never born by the time I'm through with him."

"If you're asking me if I committed murder, no I did not," The angel replied seriously, looking from Dean to Sam and back again,

"I did hit him, though-"

"I don't care what you did to that monster, where IS he?" Dean demanded, clenching his hands into fists as he felt himself shaking all over with anger.

"He's closer then you think, Dean, and he's going to come after Sam again," The angel moved around Dean to stand closer to Sam,

"You two need to get out of here, you need to get out of this town and as far away from it as possible. Get Bobby and Ellen and-"

"No."

Castiel narrowed his eyes dangerously at Dean and glared,

"I'm disobeying direct orders from God by intervening in this, what do you mean no?" He demanded,

"Get your brother out of here-"

"Cas, if that son of a bitch thinks he can just waltz in here and suddenly make me afraid of him, he's got another thing coming," Dean growled, glaring back at his friend,

"No matter where we go, Jonah isn't getting anywhere NEAR Sam, you hear me? He's going to die in a blood bath before he even sees my brother."

"Dean-"

"I'm serious, Cas," The older Winchester lowered his voice,

"It doesn't matter if he's in this town or on the other side of the world, either way, he's dead and he's going to know it."

"What about your brother?"

"If you think I'm doing this for myself and not Sammy, then you never knew me at all," Dean snapped back, turning to look back at his baby brother as he hadn't moved or spoken since the angel arrived, and felt his heart breaking all over again at the complete helplessness staring back at him.

0000

Jonah smiled pleasantly as he looked up at the angel standing in front of him in the warehouse, listening intently to what she was saying. Yes, he knew all along he was doing the right thing, and now…another angel was appearing in front him, except this time it was different. That trench coat wearing angel who had tried to kill him the previous day couldn't have been an angel of the Lord if he was willing to hurt him, much less protect Lucifer's chosen vessel of all things. Castiel, was that his name? Oh well, it didn't matter, that "angel" who had confronted him was no angel, he was a demon and who knew better then Jonah? After all, he was so sure since he had first abducted Samuel Winchester that an angel was speaking to him, and now here was the real proof right in front of him.

"You're doing the right thing, Jonah," Meg smiled gently at the man,

"It was me who was beside you all that time, who helped you do God's will, and it was me who helped you escape so you can continue it. Don't listen to Castiel, Jonah, I promise if you let me, I can help you fulfill God's mission. I know where Sam Winchester is hiding, after all."

"I do need your help, Meg," Jonah's smile never left his face as he stared into her eyes,

"We can do it together."

With those simple words, a huge cloud of black smoke suddenly came pouring out of Meg's mouth and Jonah nearly felt himself knocked off his feet as the smoke entered him and took hold of him.

0000

"Jonah is capable of anything, he's capable of doing the unthinkable as you are well aware of," Castiel looked around at the small group gathered back at Singer Salvage in Bobby's library,

"Don't underestimate him, he's dangerous and unpredictable."

"No shit, Cas," Dean snapped as he sat on the couch with his little brother's head cradled in his lap,

"Look at what he did to Sam!"

"Let the idgit speak, will you, Dean?" Bobby grumbled from the other side of the couch,

"Damn boy…"

"Look, I am not sure anymore whether I'm doing God's will not or not, whether I'm disobeying or not, all I know is that I'm doing what's right," The angel sighed softly and looked down at the younger Winchester, taking a step towards him but stopped at Dean's glare,

"I'm going to help protect you, Sam, no matter the cost. I promise."

0000

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

A/N- Sorry for the long wait on this! With the holidays and a little case of writer's block…not a good combination! But here you go! And I will apologize in advance for the ending cliffhanger, it's how I had planned it from the start, so no throwing things at me, okay? I have a sensitive head! LOL! *ducks out of the way of flying objects*

**Chapter 10**

"Dean, I'd like to speak with your brother in private for a moment."

Dean arched an eyebrow and his hand stopped mid-stroke on his brother's head, but stayed where it was,

"Uh, what?"

"I'd like to speak with Sam, Dean," Castiel repeated, looking down at the younger Winchester intently,

"I-"

"I heard what you said, Cas, and you can say anything you have to say in front of me," Dean frowned, not moving from the couch. Instead, he settled even deeper into the couch cushions and went back to stroking Sam's long hair.

"Dean, he'll be alright," Ellen piped up, taking a step towards the feuding duo,

"It's just for a few moments-"

"Nobody asked you, Ellen, so stay out of this," Dean harshly snapped, narrowing his eyes like daggers at his friends,

"I'm not going anywhere-"

"Dean, I'm afraid I must ask you to step aside for once," Cas let out a deep sigh, his patience growing thin with these humans. Even if they were his friends, they really did get test him sometimes,

"Sam will be in good hands for a few minutes."

"Boy, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with the featherbrain here," Bobby mumbled from the other side of the couch,

"Let's give these two some privacy, alright?"

"Sammy?" Dean glanced down at his baby brother questioningly, running a gentle hand up and down his back,

"You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Dean," Sam lifted his hazel eyes up to meet his brother's concerned green ones,

"Just wait in the kitchen? Don't…Don't go far…"

"You know it, kiddo," With a final stroke of Sam's head, Dean, with Ellen's help, gently and carefully lifted Sam's head off of Dean's lap and laid it back down against the pillows,

"I won't be far." He glanced warningly over at the angel,

"Five minutes, Cas. Ten at the most if it's necessary." Without waiting for a reply and a final glance down at the one person he did not want let out of his sight, Dean sighed and allowed Ellen to take his arm and lead him into the kitchen, the door shutting softly behind them.

With a shake of his head, Castiel pulled up one of the chairs from Bobby's desk and took a seat next to the couch, all the while looking directly into Sam's eyes,

"How are you doing, my friend?"

Sam slightly lifted an eyebrow wearily, confusion showing on his face,

"I'm fine, Cas." He lied, already knowing the angel would be able to tell instantly he wasn't the truth,

"What's going on?"

"Sam, I first just wanted to apologize to you for not rescuing you when Jonah first kidnapped you," Cas gently began,

"I did know where you were, yet I believed I was following God's orders. I've been…what is it you humans say…confused lately about why I had been obeying when it meant you were going to be hurt." His eyes never left Sam's as he spoke and felt saddened as it looked like all the life seemed to have left his eyes,

"So I am very sorry, Sam."

"Why are you apologizing, Cas?" Sam whispered wearily, determined not to let the angel see any of the tears he was trying to hold in,

"I mean…it wasn't your fault, so…"

"I'm telling you I'm sorry because I'm starting to think I was not listening to my Father, Sam."

"What do you mean?" Sam's voice trembled slightly as he spoke,

"I don't understand-"

"I don't think I was listening to God when you were taken," Cas explained, his eyes growing even more serious as he spoke,

"I'm starting to believe that I was fooled."

0000

"You have to give them at least a little privacy, Dean," Ellen coolly reprimanded Dean as she dragged the older Winchester into the kitchen and pushed him down into the nearest chair. She glanced over at Bobby before sitting down across from Dean,

"They're not going anywhere-"

"I promised him I won't leave him alone, Ellen," Dean growled angrily, clenching his hands into fists,

"Not even with you or Bobby or even Cas!"

Hurt flashed across Ellen and Bobby's faces briefly before Bobby rolled himself closer to one of his two idgits and glared back,

"So you think you're the only one who cares about that boy? You think you're the only one who loves him?"

"He's my baby brother, Bobby!" Dean snapped back as if he was explaining this to a roomful of idiots,

"And my baby brother went through something no human being should ever have to go through, it's my job to take care of him. It's my job to watch out for him! He's MY responsibility and my only family-"

"So what are we? Chopped liver?" Bobby blurted out, fuming,

"There's protection all around this house, you idgit, no demon will be making it's way past the front door, much less over to Sam. JONAH will not be making his way over to Sam, not as long as Ellen and I are here breathing. So for once in your life, boy, let us help you help your brother, and for God's sake, Castiel is on our side, he's not going to hurt him!"

"He better not."

"Has he ever, Dean?" Ellen gently asked, nodding over towards the kitchen door,

"He's never hurt you or Sam, so I don't think he'd start now."

0000

"That's what you think is happening, Cas?" Sam asked quietly, not sure what to think or feel anymore. He was feeling numb all over, after everything that had happened to him, being tortured, crucified and being left to suffer through it for a few days, any other type of pain would be minimal compared to what Jonah did,

"You think Zachariah or Michael is behind all of this?"

"The more I think about it, Sam, the more I'm almost certain they've been messing with me."

"But why?"

Castiel carefully reached a hand out and placed it on the younger boy's shoulder, hoping he wouldn't flinch away from him at his touch,

"Because they want you to say yes, Sam. They think that torturing you will do the trick, the more pain you're put in, the more likely it will be for you to say yes to Lucifer-"

"You finally got it, Castiel, I must say I'm surprised it took you this long!"

A familiar voice sounded from behind the trench coat angel and, already fuming, rose to his feet and stood between Zachariah and Sam, protecting the younger Winchester as best as he could,

"Zachariah."

"Oh Castiel, you know you're not going to win, don't you?" The much older angel smirked his way and took a step forward, his eyes turning to the bedridden Sam behind him,

"I'm sure Sammy here already knows that."

"God will stop you, Zachariah, and even if He doesn't, I will. You and Michael are not taking this boy, Jonah is not taking this boy-"

Zachariah sighed in what appeared to be a sad manner and shook his head,

"I'm sorry, Castiel, but that is where you're wrong." Castiel watched as the angel disappeared briefly in front of him and as he turned around, his eyes widened in horror as he saw Zachariah place his hand on the blood coated sigil on the other side of the room.

0000

"What the hell?" Bobby murmured, the noise coming from the library jerking the three hunters out of their conversation and had Dean making a mad dash for the door like his life depended on it,

"Dean!"

"Sammy? Cas?"

Ellen and Bobby were on Dean's heals as they entered the room again but suddenly stopped at what they saw. The older Winchester was breathing hard and loud as they took in the now empty library, all traces of the angel and Sam now completely gone except for a large blood soaked sigil written on the wall,

"Where the hell is my brother?!"

0000

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	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Sam let out a pained gasp as he opened his eyes, Bobby's library disappearing, and he found himself in a room he didn't recognize. What the hell had just happened? He remembered talking with Castiel one minute and the next…The younger Winchester blinked his eyes rapidly as he slowly started to remember Zachariah appearing in front of him and the angel and then…

"Oh God," He murmured, pain slicing through every fiber of his being as he looked around him,

"Oh God, Dean…" His heart pounded like a jack hammer in his chest as his vision started to clear and he realized this was…Oh God, this was the exact same room he was in before when Jonah had first abducted him,

"No, no, God please, no…"

Sam tried with everything in his being to push himself up, but the pain in all four of his limbs from his previous injuries wouldn't allow him to go far. He let out a piercing cry as fell backwards on the hardwood floor, knowing this was useless; he was useless. His legs were broken, his hands were beyond damaged and he was stuck. Trapped. And Dean…Dean wasn't here.

"Dean, please…help…" Sam whimpered to himself as he closed his eyes tightly and painfully, allowing the tears that were forming to flow down his face.

0000

"Where the hell is my brother?!"

Dean's roar was unlike any Bobby and Ellen had ever heard before and both practically jumped at the sound, both not sure what to make of the scene that was before them. A large blood drenched sigil was dripping from the wall in front of them and Sam…Sam was just gone, and Cas was gone…

What the hell?

Dean whirled around, storming over to the two older hunters, the anger on his face slowly turning his face bright red,

"Where the hell is he, Bobby?" He demanded, pointing to the couch,

"You two pull me away from him for one minute and next thing I know, both Sammy and Castiel are gone? What the hell, Bobby! Where is he?!"

"Dean, we don't know-" Ellen started shakily.

"Don't give me that shit, Ellen! You and Bobby practically dragged me away from him so that Cas could speak with him and now…now he's gone?" Dean's face grew even redder with rage as he shouted,

"I swore to him I would not let him out of my sight, Bobby!" He moved his flashing green eyes towards the oldest hunter,

"You know what kind of condition my baby brother is in, you two both know how fragile he is!"

"Dean, we didn't know, alright?" Bobby snapped, his eyes frantically moving from Dean towards the empty couch and back again,

"My God, do you really think that low of us, you damn idgit? We would never purposely put Sam's life on the line-"

"But you felt it okay to pull me away from him?" Dean snapped back, furry, rage and fear showing all over his face,

"My God, Bobby! How can I ever trust you and Ellen again with my brother? With his recovery?"

Before the two oldest hunters had a chance to reply, a flutter of wings was heard in the room and all three turned in time to see Castiel reappear before them, a fear they normally didn't see on the angel showing plainly on his features. Before he had a chance to open his mouth and say anything however, Dean was over to his side in a flash and was grasping the lapels of his trench coat in tight fists,

"You had better tell me where my brother is, Castiel, or I swear on my parent's GRAVES that I will tear you apart feather by feather."

Castiel blinked in shock, still trying to make sense of what had just occurred, none of it didn't seem real to him. One minute he was with Sam, the next Zachariah was there. He blinked his eyes again and looked up into Dean's face; he knew if he was human he would have flinched at the look the older Winchester was giving him, after all that statement "if looks could kill" wasn't invented for no reason.

"Dean, it was Zachariah!" He finally spoke in a rush, pushing his shock aside as the severity of this situation grabbed a hold of him and wouldn't let go,

"Zachariah was here, it was him this whole time-"

"What do you mean, Cas?" Ellen demanded, stepping forward, at that moment feeling nothing but fear and concern for the youngest Winchester.

"I was played, that's what I mean," The angel replied seriously,

"I thought I was listening to God this whole time, instead I was listening to Zachariah. He's taken Sam, Dean, he's taken him back to Jonah and he plans to torture him all over again."

"Like HELL he will!" Dean pushed away from the angel and took a step backwards, his big brother rage and protectiveness taking a hold like never before,

"Tell me where they are, Cas!"

"I don't know-"

"Then figure it out!" The older Winchester demanded angrily,

"You had damn better figure it out or so help me God…if Jonah touches one single hair on his head…"

"I'll be right back."

Dean blinked quickly as a flutter of wings was heard and the angel had disappeared. Just as the older brother was certain he was going to destroy something in Bobby's house, the same flutter was heard again and Castiel reappeared before them, a look of sadness written on his face,

"I know where he is-"

"And?"

"Zachariah transported him to the same basement he was in before, but-"

"But what?" Bobby demanded, glaring up at the angel. My God, they didn't have time for this!

"It turns out Meg has possessed Jonah and the entire room is angel proofed, so I'm unable to transport you," Cas sadly replied, looking down at the floor as he reported this news,

"It looks like Jonah has been working with Meg all this time, and that human…they're planning on crucifying Sam again. Zachariah believes this will get your brother to say yes-"

Before Castiel had time to finish, the feel of Dean's fist coming in contact with his face interrupted him and his head snapped back. The angel let out a sad sigh as he glanced sideways at his friend as he shoved Ellen out of the way and stormed towards the door, grabbing his jacket on his way out. Before either three had a chance to comprehend what had just taken place, the next thing they heard was the sound of the Impala roaring to life and pealing out of Singer Salvage.

0000

"_Please, please, don't do this," Sam pleaded desperately, sweat forming on his brow as he felt the first nail being placed in the middle of his wrist,_

"_No, please!"_

"_Shh," The man above him whispered in what normally would have sounded soothing, but Sam knew better. This was no soothing matter, this man was insane…_

"_No!" Sam felt the tears start to fall from his hazel eyes and his heart leapt into his throat as he saw the hammer in Jonah's hand,_

"_No, don't! Don't!"_

_And all he felt was pain. A pain so excruciating that he didn't think that type of pain ever existed. A sharp, red hot poker type of pain travelled up and down his arm as the nail was hammered deeper into his wrist and Sam wished with all his might that he would pass out or better yet, die._

0000

Sam jerked awake suddenly as the nightmare, too fresh in his head, flashed in front of his eyes all over again. Looking around him, he heard his breath coming out in short, sharp gasps as he suddenly remembered where he was and why he was here.

Torture and pain.

"No," Sam whispered shakily, shaking his head hard. This couldn't happen to him again. Not this. If it did…he already knew there would be no recovery on his end this time around, even if Dean did find him. He couldn't live through this a second time around, that was a fact.

"No," He grunted again, once more attempting to lift himself up to a sitting position, his damaged hands screaming in agony,

"I won't let you do this to me…"

If his big brother wasn't here right now, then there was only one other option; he had to grasp onto that same stubbornness and determination Dean possessed, it would be the only thing that would get him out of this alive.

0000

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

A/N- This chapter is dedicated to Twinchester Angel, who I believe is still rocking back and forth in that corner over there. LOL! Sweetie, I think you can come out now…as for whether this cliffhanger will make things better or worse, ummm…I think I'll hide over there, okay? *grin* Either way, this chapter is for you, your reviews have been a constant from the start and you've made me laugh so hard! Thank you! *huggles*

A/N2- Thank you to every single person who has reviewed, followed and put as their "favorite", you all have no idea how much every single comment has meant to me!

**Chapter 12**

The wheels of the Impala screeched loudly as it tore out Singer Salvage, the driver behind the wheel not caring for once at the possible damage he could be doing to his beloved car. He didn't even mutter an apology to Baby this time, it didn't even cross his mind. He was livid, fuming and worried as hell…actually, scratch that, worried wasn't even scratching the surface of how he was feeling at the moment.

Dean knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if it was possible, steam would probably be blowing out of his ears because of the anger that was raging inside of him,

"God damn it, this is not happening!" He shouted aloud to the empty car, slamming the heal of his hand against the dashboard,

"I'm coming, Sammy, just hang on, little bro…"

Before Dean could fume, huff and puff any more, he heard the familiar flutter of wings beside him-in Sam's spot, no less-and the older Winchester didn't even have to glance to his right to know who it was,

"Go away, Cas, I want nothing to do with you-"

"You left before I could finish, Dean," Castiel interrupted, a large amount of concern evident in the angel's voice,

"You do not have to drive there, I'm going to take you to him. Just pull the car over-"

"And I should trust you because…?"

"Because if you don't, Sam will go through the same torture all over again and you won't get there in time, that's why!" The angel raised his voice, glaring over at Dean,

"Pull. The. Car. Over."

Dean slammed on the brakes of the Impala, sending both him and Castiel lurching forward in the seats. Not wasting any time, Dean turned off his car and dropped his keys into the pocket of his jacket,

"If you're gonna take me to Sam, then do it, I don't have all day, Castiel."

Not caring that his friend was furious at him, or even that he wasn't too thrilled with this certain Winchester at the moment, Castiel turned and narrowed his eyes dangerously,

"Once I get you there, I cannot go inside with you. Jonah has angel proofed the entire basement and Zachariah I'm sure is nearby. Just…Just get Sam out of there and I'll do the rest."

Before Dean had a chance to even open his mouth to reply, he felt the familiar light touch of the angel's fingers on his forehead and next thing he knew, the Impala and the long stretch of road he had been driving on was gone. He and Cas were now standing outside of a familiar building that only a few weeks ago, Dean had followed the fire fighters and the police to only to find his brother…Sammy…

Dean stood on the spot, memories flooding him as he stared at the tall building in front of him. Yellow police tape still lined the front of the building, supposedly attempting to prevent anyone from entering after Sam's abduction and torture down there, and just the sight of it nearly sent the older brother over the edge and to his knees he was flooded with memories.

0000

_Dean's heart was pounding in his chest as he followed the fire fighters and police cars at a safe distance and pulled the Chevy Impala to the side of the road, parking a good couple of yards behind them so he wasn't seen. He quietly climbed out of the car, making sure not to make too much noise as he hurried behind the number of people making their way into the large two story, run down building. He was hoping against hope his baby brother was in there somewhere…somewhere ALIVE, mind you…there was no way he was going to believe for a minute that Sam was dead. As long as Dean was still breathing, he would continue to protect his little brother, he would continue to save him and so help him God if anyone stood in his way._

_Dean frowned worriedly as he followed the cops downstairs, everything getting darker and darker the further they went. His heart was thumping louder and he almost swore it came to a stop for a moment when he heard a loud shout up ahead._

"…_Over here, we've got a body…He's alive…"_

0000

Dean jerked himself out of the memories as he felt a hard slap to his face and a harsh shake of his shoulders.

"Dean, snap out of it!"

Dean blinked his eyes and shook his head as he realized he had spaced out for a few minutes…those few precious minutes that he should have been using by barging into the building and killing that son of a bitch Jonah and rescuing Sammy.

Without even bothering to give Castiel another glance, Dean lurched forward, his hand automatically reaching into the waistband of his jeans for the demon killing knife. Before he could pull it out, Cas moved in front of him, holding his hand out,

"I think you'll prefer this instead, Dean."

The Colt.

0000

Sweat poured down Sam's face, agony clearly written all over him as he shakily finished unwrapping the heavy bandages around his hands. He kept his hazel eyes shut the entire time, wanting more then anything not to see the damage done to his hands. Tears mixed with the sweat on his cheeks and the younger Winchester didn't even bother trying to wipe them away.

His entire body shook madly as the bandages fell to the ground and Sam slowly opened his eyes, keeping his gaze away from his hands. They hurt like hell, even more so now that the wrappings were off, and pain sliced through him with each tender movement of his fingers.

"Oh my God…" Sam whimpered to himself even though he knew there was nobody here…Yet.

With every fiber of his being, even as he wanted mover then anything to just scream from the pain, Sam bit his lower lip until it bled and shakily placed his hands on the ground attempting to push himself up more. Pain won itself out at that exact moment and the younger brother let out an ear piercing scream as he fell flat onto his stomach.

_Damn it, Winchester, _He silently cursed himself as he lowered his head to the floor and let out some of the remaining cries he was trying to hold in. Minutes passed before Sam felt the shaking of his body lessen and his heart wasn't thumping as loudly or as quickly as before. Drawing in a painful breath, Sam placed the palms of his hands back down onto the ground stubbornly.

Before he could draw himself back up fully, Sam was taken aback as he suddenly felt someone kick him from behind and he once again went sprawling back onto the hard wood floor. His face painfully made contact with the floor and the younger man cried out as he heard and felt a sickening crack; his nose was broken.

Terrific.

Knowing exactly who was behind him, after all, Cas had told him that Meg was currently possessing Jonah at the moment, Sam still lifted his head slightly from the ground and mustered up every ounce of stubbornness and bravery to lower his eyes and give his best Winchester glare at the man behind him.

"Oh, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, I've missed you," Jonah-or rather, Meg-shook her head and smiled proudly at the tear stains on Sam's cheeks.

Even as his heart started thudding rapidly in his ears all over again, Sam refused to let his terror and helplessness show as his glare never faltered,

"It's SAM, you sick bitch."

Meg's eyes narrowed back at him as they turned black and she stepped over towards Sam until she was towering over his body,

"I can call you whatever I want to, Sammy boy." With that, she lifted the heal of her foot and brought it down onto one of Sam's broken legs, smiling proudly at the sickening crack of the bones and the loud painful cry escaping the younger boy.

_Oh God, help me, Dean please, help me,_ Sam silently cried as he lowered his head back to the floor, trying to bury his face into his arm,

_Dean, I'm not strong enough for this…I can't go through this again…_

0000

Dean broke into a run as he entered the building, trying to remember which direction he had taken those weeks ago. My God, it should not be that difficult…He fingered the trigger of the Colt in his hands, getting prepared to use it at any time.

Just as he turned towards his left, remembering now where he was going, Dean suddenly let out a loud grunt as he felt himself being thrown through the air and colliding with the wall, his head coming in contact with the wood. The older Winchester visibly flinched as he fell to the floor, rubbing his head as he looked up,

"Oh HELL NO!"

Zachariah.

0000

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Oh HELL NO!"

The words were out of Dean's mouth before he had time to even think, to come to terms with the fact that Zachariah was standing in front of him, that same smug look on his face. The same face which Dean was glaring daggers at right now.

How in the hell had Zachariah managed to get into the building? Castiel wasn't able to and he was an angel just like this son of a bitch was…So what did that mean? The older Winchester brother shook his head in confusion and ignored the aching pain in his temple from his run in with the wall and rose to his feet, albeit a tad shakily.

"How the hell did you manage to get your furry ass in here, Zachariah?" Dean demanded, his face burning with rage as he needed to make this quick. Sammy needed him. Badly.

"No angels can get in this building-"

"Ah-ah-ah! That's where you're wrong now," Zachariah wagged his finger in front of Dean's face, the smirk never leaving his lips,

"Think about it. Think long and hard about it, Dean. You can't be that stupid to think I wasn't going to know about your little rescue mission now, right? I had to stop you, and if that meant I had to make sure no other angel other then myself could get in here, then…" He shrugged his shoulders carelessly and smiled down at the human in front of him,

"Think, Dean. It's not that difficult."

Dean's eyebrows furrowed together and a deadly glare came over his face as his heart raced in time to his now pounding head,

"You son of a bitch…" He growled angrily as he fit two and two together,

"You son of a bitch, you angel proofed this place yourself after you came in, didn't you? What now, are you working with Jonah, too?!"

"Oh Dean, Dean, when are you going to see the bigger picture-"

"The 'bigger picture'?" Dean screamed, taking a dangerous step closer to the angel, knowing he was treading on shaky ground here; for all he knew, Zachariah could kill him any minute now with just a snap of his fingers. But he had to do this. Sam needed him. Sammy was worth all of this,

"Is the bigger picture for all you bastards torturing my little brother until he says yes to Lucifer? You will stop at nothing, will you? It doesn't matter what kind of innocents you intend to hurt in the process, as long as he says yes! Right?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!" Zachariah rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he clapped his hands, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You bastard, I swear on my grave, you had better tell me Sammy's okay or-"

"Or what?" The angel interrupted,

"You'll kill me?" He laughed loudly, throwing his head back and shaking his head,

"There's only one way to kill me and YOU…the tiny little insect that you are…don't have it. Oh!" He smiled again, as if a though had just occurred to him,

"And by the way, you're too late to get to your precious little Sammy, alright? Even if you do manage to get down there, you won't make it out alive-"

Feeling his face burning red with rage, Dean slipped his hand up the sleeve of his jacket slowly, drawing out his only way of getting rid of this monster NOW. He made sure the angel didn't have his eyes on his hands as he placed it behind his back,

"That's where you're wrong, you sick bastard; I'm not the one who's going to die today," Taking his opportunity as he saw the brief flash of confusion on Zachariah's face, Dean drew out the angel killing knife and slammed it straight into the angel's chest.

Flashes of white lights protruded from the angel's eyes and all over his body as he threw his head back, screaming, and Dean only pushed the knife deeper into his chest. With a loud grunt, the human pulled it out only briefly and slammed it back into him, this time straight though his face. Seconds which seemed like minutes passed before the older hunter pulled the knife roughly out of Zachariah, watching proudly as the fallen angel fell to the ground, his wings splayed out on either side of him.

0000

Sam never lifted his head once, his shoulders trembling with every sob that came from him, as Meg in Jonah's meat suit pressed her foot even harder down onto his re-broken leg, keeping him still as she whispered gleefully in his ear.

"Come on now, Sammy boy, let's have some fun now, shall we?" She giggled delightfully, her eyes turning black as she removed her foot and grabbed a tight hold of Sam's damaged hand, pulling it away from his face. Her smile widened as a scream ripped through him and tears continued to fall from his eyes,

"Oh don't be a baby, Sam," She snapped, pressing her face close to his and licked the tears from his cheeks with delight,

"Mmm, tasty."

As her black eyes returned back to the regular color Jonah's were, Meg grinned and grabbed a hold of Sam's other hand and yanked hard, pulling him to his feet forcefully,

"Thata boy, Sam!" Within a matter of seconds, she had yanked off the familiar brown hoodie, leaving him in just his gray t-shirt. As soon as she let go, Meg watched with satisfaction as Sam collapsed back to the ground, his legs obviously unable to support him,

"Dean's right, Sam, you ARE a whiny bitch," She growled, folding her arms across her chest as she crouched down in front of the youngest Winchester,

"You know what needs to be done here, Sam, there's no denying it. Hell, even your own brother finds you a burden; he wishes you weren't in his life, after all you DID start the Apocalypse, didn't you? He hates you, that's why he hasn't shown up to save you, isn't it? Remember the first time we were down here together? We had so much fun, and Dean left you for days on end before finally showing his ugly face!"

Sam finally lifted his pained, watery eyes up to the demon, and glared through his tears,

"Go to Hell."

Meg shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes, slowly getting bored,

"I just returned from there a few weeks ago; wasn't much fun, Sammy-"

"Quit calling me that," Sam choked out, wishing he was able to be stronger, braver…he wished he was able to fight back like he used to; if he wasn't in his current state, he would have had Meg exorcised and have had Jonah on his ass in no time!

"Dean only gets to call me that and you know it…"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," She replied, stepping forward again just as Sam painfully scooted away from her on the ground, grunts of agony escaping him with every move,

"Oh Sam, don't do this; I'm bored." With a fluid motion, she had moved back in front of him, blocking his route, and grabbed him under the arms, forcing him back into a standing position.

"Don't, please…" Sam couldn't believe that he was now pleading with a demon. A DEMON. If it was any other time over the years, there was no way in hell he would have found himself pleading, begging, a demon not to hurt him. But that was then…

0000

Just as Dean tucked the angel killing knife back into the inside pocket of his jacket, his head jerked up as a familiar, ear drum shattering scream ripped through the building. Leaving the fall angel in the middle of the room-that was SAM'S voice-Dean raced towards where the screaming was coming from, his heart hammering in his chest again as his big brother instincts told him he needed to get there.

And he needed to get there NOW.

As the screams finally stopped as he came closer to the familiar staircase, Dean felt his eyes fill with tears he never allowed himself to shed as the screams turned to desperate pleas and the pleas turned to broken sobs.

"SAMMY!" The older brother cried brokenly as he ran down the stairs, trying not to fall on his face as his headache continued to pound in his temples from his recent love connection with a brick wall. Finally, FINALLY, Dean reached the familiar door that he had barged through just a few weeks ago and grabbed the knob.

Locked.

Great. Just great. Guess that only could mean one thing.

Taking a step backwards, Dean lifted his leg and kicked the door in as hard as he could muster. Nothing.

"Son of a bitch," He cursed under his breathe,

"Damn demons!" Another kick. And another…

0000

"_Sammy, I'm here! I'm here!" Dean shouted in agony as he felt himself being pushed out of the way and out the door, leaving him without a clear view of his baby brother,_

"_I'm leaving you, Sammy, I promise!"_

"_Sir, we need you to step back!" A voice of one of the fire fighters came from behind him and Dean glanced over his shoulder as a herd of them came through the door and circled around where he knew Sam was laying. _

_Nailed to a make-shift cross._

_The older Winchester felt all of his food from earlier slowly starting to make it's way up and out as he could only hear the whimpers and quiet cries coming from his little brother in that room. And he was unable to do anything from him except stand there; he couldn't hold him or comfort him or save him right now._

_What kind of brother did that make him?_

0000

Dean stepped back one more time and with every ounce of strength he could muster, he threw his leg out and kicked the locked door once more; this time, he watched as it finally gave in and he felt like he could breathe again. Not wasting any time, Dean pushed his way through the broken wood and climbed through what was left of the door,

"Sammy!"

0000

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Sam? Sammy!"

That voice. It was unmistakable, only one person was allowed to call him that, but at the same time, how could it be? Dean wasn't here this time, it had to be his mind playing tricks on him, or Meg and Jonah…He had the shittiest luck known to man, there was no way that luck could turn around now, not when he needed it the most.

Sam jerked his head up and slowly opened his eyes, hoping his older brother's face would be the one he would be seeing. This was all a twisted nightmare, a very realistic nightmare, but a nightmare nonetheless...Wasn't it?

"Oh sweetie, don't pay any attention to that, you know that's not your brother; he won't be here to save you this time," Meg's voice whispered in his ear, the voice seemingly gentle, but suddenly changed in a second,

"Now GET UP, you big baby!"

With a sharp pull of his elbow, Sam was unable to hold back to sharp cry as the demon twisted his arm behind his back and yanked. Pain jolted up and down his entire right arm as he felt his shoulder being thrown out of its socket, but before the younger Winchester had time to process that it looked like she was going to indeed kill him, more pain snaked its way up his already damaged hand as he heard a loud crack.

God, this was not happening to him…

Hopelessness filled his gut as he slumped forward, no longer able to hear the voice of his brother getting closer and closer to him. Sam closed his eyes once again, forcing himself to not release the tears threatening to fall; after all, since this was going to be his final moments alive, there was no way in hell he was going to show Meg or Jonah any weakness by crying.

0000

Dean had just made his way down the never ending staircase and his eyes widened as he saw the door…THE door which his brother was behind. He was right there.

"SAM!" He ran towards it and pulled on the knob, not at all surprised to find it locked.

Well, there was only one way to take care of that now, wasn't there? Lifting the Colt, Dean glared at the door as if it was his number one enemy and pulled the trigger, grinning as the door blasted apart at just that one bullet. Tucking the Colt back into his jacket, Dean kicked the remainder of the door in and was brought to a holt at what he saw in front of him.

Sammy, painfully being lain down on a large, familiar piece of wood, and Jonah-or was it Meg-painfully gripping his little brother's arms, even though there didn't appear to be any life coming from Sam.

Dean narrowed his eyes dangerously as Jonah lifted his head and smiled gleefully, his eyes turning a dark black as he met the older Winchester's eyes,

"You're too late, Deano."

With a shake of his head, Dean reached back inside his leather jacket and pulled the Colt back out, pointing it point blank at the demon's face,

"If you think for one second, Meg, that you're going to do this, then you're as dumb as you look." With a sharp glare, Dean looked carefully over at his baby brother to make sure he was out of harm's way and pulled the trigger without a second thought.

Meg's eyes widened in shock as the bullet ripped through her skull and her tight grip on the youngest Winchester loosening. She blinked one last time as the hole that was now in her skull sizzled and she collapsed to the ground. Still not satisfied as this was not how he had wanted to see this bitch come to and end, Dean walked over to the body and drew out the demon killing knife; two for the price of one, he liked the sound of that,

"This is for my brother, you sick bitch!" With that, Dean reached down and grabbed a hold of Meg's meat suit-Jonah, Meg, whatever you want to call it, both deserved it-and with one fluid motion, sent the head rolling away from the body and away from his brother.

0000

All Sam could feel was pain, excruciating pain. There was nothing but pain. But at the same time, Meg's voice was no longer whispering in his ear and for some reason…he never felt the nails being driven back into his wrists and ankles. Instead, he felt his body carefully being gently lifted off of the ground and propped up against something soft.

"Sammy…"

Dean? No, that couldn't be right, it couldn't be…

"Sammy, please…please, wake up…"

_No, just let me die,_ Sam wished he could say it out loud, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself he speak, much less open his eyes. The last thing he wanted to see was Meg grinning down at him, but hearing Dean's voice.

"Sammy, she's gone, she's dead; you're safe now, just please wake up."

There it was again, that gentle pleading; but was he willing to risk the disappointment if he opened his eyes and didn't see Dean? Didn't see his brother's face? Because more then anything in the world, that was all Sam wanted to see, he wanted to see his brother, wanted to hear his voice, wanted to know that Meg and Jonah were indeed dead. But he was never that lucky, his luck ran out the day his mother was killed when he was 6 months old.

But then again, what if it really was Dean? He felt a feather like touch running through his long hair and another gentle touch stroking his cheek. Meg and Jonah were never that gentle; all they did was cause him agony as they broke all the bones in his limbs and nail him to a make shift cross. This touch was different…maybe he was wrong…

Albeit painfully, Sam gulped and allowed himself to open his pain-filled hazel eyes, blinking slowly as he looked up into the face looking down at him.

Dean.

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"Sammy…?" Dean dropped to his knees beside his little brother's body and with as much gentleness as humanly possible, lifted Sam's head and rested it carefully into his lap. His eyes skimmed Sam's body and his heart clenched and unclenched with anger and hatred all over again at the new damage done to his brother. He wished with everything in him that Jonah and Meg were still alive for a few seconds so he could behead them all over again, drive a bullet through the skull and hear them scream for mercy, much like Sammy had done for sure…

Tears trailed down his face and Dean didn't even bother wiping them away as he saw that the bandages that were on Sam's hands were now gone, thrown on the other side of the room, and his brother's right arm was now twisted in a painful looking angle, clearly broken. Blood was dripping from Sam's nose, and with a glance down at the lower half of his brother's body, he suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he saw the bone protruding from Sam's previously broken right leg. The cast that was on his right leg from the former break was now no longer there and Dean had to force himself not to hurl at the sight of the white bone sticking out. Glancing down at Sam's left leg and not seeing any more damage done, Dean drew in a sharp breath and let it out slowly.

He lifted his hands and gently ran his fingers through his brother's thick long hair, tangling it into his fingers carefully,

"Sammy, please, please wake up…"

There was nothing.

Dean held his breath as he lifted two fingers and laid them carefully down on Sam's neck, checking for a pulse. He waited for a few agonizing moments, until he finally found the pulse, it was there and it was racing in time to the beating of Dean's heart. Moving his fingers to Sam's cheek, the older brother gently stroked it with his thumb as his other hand continued to move through his hair,

"She's dead now, Sammy, she and Jonah are both dead…Please wake up, Sam…"

Dean sat there for those few moments, not moving from where he sat on the ground. He wasn't going anywhere, he wasn't going back to where Cas was waiting until his brother woke up and was coherent enough to leave. With a long, drawn out sigh, Dean closed his eyes and lowered his head,

"You're okay now, little brother; they can't hurt you again. Big brother's here now…"

"D-Dean…?"

The older Winchester's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice he had wanted to hear so badly,

"Sammy?"

"Dean…is that really you…?" Sam's voice was pain filled as he gazed hopefully, longingly up at who he hoped against hope was his big brother.

"It's me, kiddo, it's really me," Dean smiled tearfully as he stroked his little brother's cheek with his thumb, not moving Sam's head from where it lay,

"You're gonna be okay, little brother."

"Dean…" A soft sob escaped Sam's throat as his hazel eyes never left his brother's face,

"Dean, she…Meg was gonna…"

"The bitch is dead, Sammy," Dean whispered gently, wiping the tears that were now falling from his brother's face,

"Nobody will ever hurt you again, I promise."

"She almost…" Sam closed his eyes again, pain travelling through his entire body as he turned his head away from Dean,

"She almost did it again, Dean…"

"Look at me, kiddo," Dean carefully shifted his brother on the ground and gently urged him to face him again,

"Look at me." As Sam opened his eyes again and stared up at him, Dean continued,

"That will never happen to you again, alright?" Seeing the doubt and pain in Sam's eyes, he continued,

"Zachariah is dead, too, and Cas is waiting outside; we're gonna take you to the hospital and we'll make sure nobody is allowed near you except for he and I, and Bobby and Ellen. I promise."

"Dean…I tried so hard…"

"Tried what?"

"I tried to…be strong and brave like I was, but…" Sam let out a hiss of pain as his arm jolted,

"I tried to do it, to be the hunter I used to be, but I couldn't, Dean…I couldn't…"

"And nobody expects you to right now, okay?" Dean whispered, smiling gently down at his brother as he stroked the back of his neck,

"When you're good and ready once you've completely healed, then we'll see about you hunting again and getting back on your feet. Until then, you did just fine, Sammy. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Sam whispered back as he felt himself being pulled into his brother's chest and Dean's hand stroking his back,

"I just…wish…"

"I know," Dean finished for him, carefully rocking him in his arms before pulling back and looking back into Sam's eyes,

"Now let's get you out of this joint, huh, and get you to a doctor?" As soon as he saw Sam nod his head in agreement, Dean moved his hand around to his brother's back and the other he gently moved under Sam's knees,

"Let me know if it hurts anymore, buddy, okay?"

"Okay."

With a nod, Dean carefully pulled his brother close and lifted him off the ground, making his way back towards the staircase and out of the building to where Castiel was waiting.

0000

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

A/N- Well, here we have it, this little story has come to an end. A big thank you and hugs to every single person who took the time to review, each comment meant so much to me! I honestly wasn't expecting this type of response to this, but I am so happy y'all enjoyed. *HUGS*

A/N2- As you can tell in this final chapter, I kinda took an alternate route then where the show took Season 5. Imagine this is kind of a replacement for "Swan Song", I guess…(don't get me wrong, that's one of my favorite episodes of all time, but I'm not going to be sending our sweet Sammy to Hell after all I put him through. I think he's been tortured enough, don't you think? *hugs Sammy tightly*) Okay, okay, anyways, just imagine if the last 10 or so episodes did not exist in Season 5, that's kinda where this picks up. And yeah, I know it would appear I left it at a cliffhanger, so just use your imagination.

A/N3- I'll stop babbling now. Hehe…Till next time!

**Chapter 15-Epilogue**

Dean sighed and rubbed his face tiredly as he sank deeper into the chair besides Sam's hospital bed. Scrubbing his eyes, he opened them and looked back down at his brother's still form; for the first time in what seemed like ages, he appeared peaceful and not plagued by nightmares.

Of course, that was probably partly due to the morphine and the other part due to Castiel attempting to take some of the flashbacks and nightmares away. It didn't matter though, to Dean, he couldn't have been more grateful. Right after Sam had been admitted after Cas had zapped the two brothers and the Impala to the hospital, Dean was about to get in the angel's face and demand he do such a thing; but thankfully, Cas had beat him to it and with a single touch on Sam's forehead, the younger Winchester had quieted down and was still.

And had been still for the past two days. The only way Dean knew that his little brother was indeed still alive was from the heart monitor beside the bed and the rise and fall of Sam's chest as he slept on.

Silence continued to fill the hospital room as Dean glanced across Sam's bed to Bobby and Ellen and then over to Castiel standing in the doorway, a line of salt spread out in that same doorway. If there was still anything out there-besides Lucifer-that wanted to abduct his brother and torture him like that again, they would have to get through the angel and more importantly, get through Dean.

_Over my dead body, _Dean though, a fresh wave of fury and rage washing over him as he remembered coming into that basement a few days ago and seeing Meg…that bitch had it coming for her, that was all there was to it. As a matter of fact, a beheading was too kind as far as Dean was concerned.

As the older Winchester looked down at his baby brother again, his hand never leaving from where it continued to stroke his hair splayed across the pillow, Dean's eyes widened as he saw Sam's hazel eyes slowly start to open and blinking quickly.

"Hey, little bro," Dean greeted, glancing quickly over at Ellen as she was about to speak and silenced her with a look.

Sam swallowed and licked his lips, his eyes looking up at his big brother and Castiel and then over towards Bobby and Ellen,

"Water?" He rasped quietly, his throat parched with thirst.

Cas moved from the doorway and poured a cup from the pitcher resting on the table near Sam's bed and handed it to Dean. With a nod of thanks, Dean grabbed a straw and moved the cup towards his brother's lips, letting him gulp down as much as needed.

"How you doing there, big guy?" Dean asked, setting the now empty cup back down on the table.

"Hurts…" Sam mumbled, his eyes roaming over his body and sighing,

"But okay…"

"It's gonna hurt, honey," Ellen gently spoke, her hand moving and resting on Sam's uninjured shoulder,

"Give it time."

Sam sighed softly once again, exhaustion and pain flowing through every part of his body. His eyes kept travelling over his broken body, the evidence that none of this was a nightmare staring right back at him; his re-broken right leg had been re-casted and was elevated above him and his hands were re-bandaged, his broken right arm casted and secured to his chest in a sling. He blinked his eyes tiredly and looked back over to his brother,

"No nightmares…"

Dean grinned for the first time in what felt like ages as he glanced over his shoulder at Castiel,

"You can thank the angel for that, Sammy."

Taking that as a cue he was allowed to step closer to the youngest Winchester, Castiel moved till he was standing next to Dean,

"Lucifer still cannot get anywhere near you, Sam, and most of the nightmares should also be kept at bay, too."

"I still remember…" Sam whispered, blinking back the tears threatening his eyes,

"That can't be fixed, can it?"

As Castiel shook his head, Bobby rolled himself closer and laid his hand carefully on Sam's left leg,

"Just rest, son, we'll still be here when you wake up."

Sam felt a few of the tears start to fall as he looked back up at Dean,

"Dean…"

With a grin that held no trace of sarcasm, Dean nodded his head, knowing exactly what his little brother needed and wanted. Rising from his chair, he lowered the railing of Sam's bed and after kicking off his boots, sat down on the hospital bed, gently helping his brother sit up enough so that he laid against Dean's chest. Wrapping a careful arm around his brother, Dean blinked back his own tears as Sam closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him once again.

"Just don't let his nurses see you there, you idgit," Bobby grumbled,

"They'll kick you off of there in no time-"

"Over my dead body," Dean interrupted, pleased as he saw the rise and fall of Sam's chest once again, knowing that his baby brother had fallen back to sleep.

0000

6 months later…

"Well, looks like you finally might be able to get out of this wheelchair soon, Sam," Dean smiled as he rolled his brother out of the hospital doors and over to the waiting Impala and put the brakes on,

"Don't even think about attempting to get up by yourself!" He placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, pushing him back down as he attempted to rise to his feet.

"I have to try sometime on my own," Sam mumbled under his breathe, but allowed his brother to wrap his arm around his waist and help hoist him to his unsteady feet.

"Not if it risks you falling on your face, Sammy," Dean replied, opening the passenger door with his free hand and helping his brother take a seat,

"You've still got a ways to go even when you get out of this fugly chair."

"It's been 6 months, Dean," Sam complained, looking down at his lap and then at his legs. The bandages had come off long ago, but the pain was still present and every time he took his shoes and socks off, the evidence of what he had been through was still there, too. Just looking at his limbs daily always brought back memories he wished he could forget.

After folding the wheelchair into the backseat, Dean climbed into the drivers seat but didn't start up the car; instead, he turned till he was facing Sam in the eyes,

"Yes, it's been 6 months, Sam; and for all you've been through, I have to say you've recovered pretty well." He paused,

"But not completely, kiddo."

"Dean-"

"Nu-uh, we're not doing that again, Sam."

"Doing what?" Sam frowned in annoyance.

"Pretending like you're perfectly alright, when I know you're NOT." Dean looked his brother square in the eye and sighed as he watched Sam lower his own eyes and away from him,

"Sammy…I know how much of a pain in the ass this is. I mean, hell, we're still at Bobby's half a year later, but…There is no person besides you who has lived through what you went through. I mean, really, Sam, we're not pushing this."

"And the Apocalypse? You do remember Michael and Lucifer, right?"

Dean sighed loudly and shook his head,

"If those two sons of bitches want to end the world, then they can end the world, Sam. But they're not having us. They're not having YOU. You hear me? So I don't want to hear any self blame coming from you about how you started it, Sammy, because we both started it."

"And then what, Dean?" Sam whispered, guilt showing plainly on his face,

"They're not gonna stop, even if Cas blocked Lucifer out so he can't get near me…that won't stop him…"

"Then if we go down, Sammy," Dean sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly,

"Then we go down together. No ifs, ands or buts, alright?" The older Winchester reached over towards his brother and cupped Sam's face in between his hands,

"No sacrificing ourselves to save the world. Promise me, Sam."

Sam closed his eyes, feeling a few tears leak out from them, and nodded his head,

"I promise."

"That's my boy," Dean grinned sadly, wiping the tears from his brother's cheeks before pulling him towards him and wrapping his arms gently around him,

"That's my boy."

**THE END**

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**Written by: Erin**


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